Keane Week 10: Factors that Determine Power
One’s power is equivalent to their economic, political, or social influence. It represents how much you can change the outcome of events. Before agricultural developments led to civilization, when humans hunted for food and lived in caves, the most powerful was the physically strongest. Because conflicts were decided by fights, those with the most physical strength were deciding factors in events. Power can also come from connections or heritage. Feudal systems especially emphasized social class and being born into royalty meant societal power over others. But in today’s society, with power being the ability to influence other events, most people would agree that Elon Musk has more influence than any professional fighter or weightlifter.
Many different factors can determine one’s power and influence. In politics it is the one with the most charisma, who is able to persuade voters to his side. Recently our school held an election for Associate Student Body office positions, and candidates campaigned by convincing students to vote for them. The nature of the event meant that money, or physical strength was not a deciding role in the competition. Popularity, social ability, and communication were the main factors.
In families, authority is given to parents, who are the oldest. For generations, status in a house was measured by age, because it meant more experience, maturity, and wisdom. A son or daughter also has an implicit debt to the father and mother, who raised and cared for their child when it couldn’t live by itself. Parents also have more status in society, because of generational connections that withhold opportunities. Your parents likely have a friend or know someone who can help you in various aspects of your life. Many jobs are given to the nephew or niece of the boss, similar to nepotism.
In society and business, those with money can buy more luxuries, comforts, and control events. Rich people can afford to change the outcome of events, simply by paying for it to happen. They have the power to out compete a small family company and monopolize the industry or donate to orphanages and fund advocacy projects. Someone with more physical strength would not be able to find the same results.
Different environments favor different attributes that lead to power. Today, a large part of that is in technology. From near the beginning of civilization to the early 1400s, the style of life was not expected to change. A farmer back then did not wonder what new innovations he would live to see. Now, technological advances are expected every year, and will become a large part of future power dynamics. Being able to operate and create new technologies can give you a job, which then gives you money and power.
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ReplyDeleteHi Keane,
ReplyDeleteI agree that power has thoroughly changed over time and I feel it reflects the values of society at the time. For instance in the past when the strongest were viewed as the most powerful, society reflected a reliance on physical strength for survival. As society evolved over time like you stated, those with greater influence had the most power which reflected a separation between classes in society. It's clear that based on all the different examples you provided, society has completely shifted to status reflecting power and I believe this change is largely due to lopsided wealth distribution which translates to some groups having significantly more influence than others leading to unjust policies only benefiting a specific group of individuals. Finally, I agree that technological advancements have huge potential and ability to influence society since we can already see the most powerful individuals in modern society are Elon Musk as you mentioned, Tim Cook, and Sundar Pichai all of whom are tech company CEOs.
Hey Keane,
ReplyDeleteLike Danial, I agree that power can take on several forms depending on society. In our primitive days, power was simply physical strength. This form of power can be seen in animals such as a wolves and lions who have a designated alpha. However, as society evolved, so did our concept of power. Take the Salem Witch Trials for example. In 1692, in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts, the power of god was absolute. People lived their life by the Bible, essentially setting them in to a cycle of death. They could either lie, saving their lives and damning themselves to hell or tell the truth and be killed. In modern times, money is power, but this power is more often then not in the wrong hands. For example, Jeffery Dahmer, who amassed a fortune from scams on Wall Street ran an illegal island for sexual abuse. I agree with you that technology will become a big part of the power dynamic in the future, and it will happen sooner than any of us know. Thank you for writing this blog.
Hi Keane. I found it quite interesting how what is considered powerful has immensely changed overtime. Initially, the most power was with those who were the most strong physically. This type of power greatly benefited people at the time because as you stated, to solve conflicts or win wars, great physical strength was necessary. However, now that we live in a time that society is very developed and most of the world is dependent on technology and social media, physical strength is not a big factor in being powerful. I appreciate how you explained different situations in today’s day and age, and the characteristics needed in a person in each of those situations to be the most powerful. For instance, you mentioned that in politics and elections, charisma, popularity, and communication are factors that are significant to be powerful. Overall, I enjoyed reading your blog and thank you for sharing.
ReplyDelete