"...power properly understood is nothing but the ability to achieve purpose. It is the strength required to bring about social, political, and economic change."
-Martin Luther King, Jr. in "Where Do We Go From Here?" Annual Report Delivered at the 11th Convention of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference on August 16, 1967, in Atlanta, Georgia
For the whole speech see http://www.stanford.edu/group/king/publi...
For excerpts only see http://www.peaceworkmagazine.org/pwork/0...
I suppose this inquiry might be viewed by some as a "which came first, the chicken or the egg?" question. I believe, however, that it encompasses something more in our contemporary world where power is often fragmented and too often requires the generation of enormous sums of capital to achieve the momentum necessary for success and to achieve the desired effects.
Any comment and elaboration upon these themes would be appreciated.
2006-10-23 03:41:43 · 13 answers · asked by Seeker 4 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
Crazy narcoduck: Maybe not all that mushy!
2006-10-23 04:53:10 · update #1
been_arou...: You propose an interesting question. Why don't you enter it here on Yahoo! Answers?
2006-10-23 04:58:36 · update #2
Neither. Both are the products of a slow process or evolution from a powerless and authorityless situation.It would apply be it political ( Hitler?) or Business ( gates?) or in any sphere. It is in this runnig in period from the power/authority less position that one aquires one or both, complimenting each other.
The fact that someone is given a certain authority will take them to weild more power. The other route is equally so.
In the developing countries we witness a strange situation. Authority is vested on individuals but power is held by someone ( political) . Thus the political power uses the authorities as scape goats.
2006-10-23 04:14:16 · answer #1 · answered by YD 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Power resides in the authority. The authority is a position taken over by someone or some people. He/She/They then deem how much power to exert. Thus authority is the independent variable and power is the dependent.
Authority in power wouldn't make sense because we have revolutions. If people in power had authority then there would be no revolutions and no one would be able to question what happened since they were in authority.
2006-10-23 18:17:41 · answer #2 · answered by X M 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Power does reside in authority. In the US a policeman can arrest you just because he feels like it - that is power (yes this really happens - policemen lie to achieve this).
Authority can be achieved through mass movements. Mass movements against great injustices have often relied on peaceful protests to be successful.
Anger and revenge make people turn away. Martin Luther King was successful because of his peaceful protests in the the face of the anger of vicious oppressors. Gandhi also knew the value of peaceful protest against great oppression.
This worked when people descended from Europeans were in power. Does anyone know of cases where peaceful protest worked against great injustice when people with other religious backgrounds were in power? I'm too ignorant of world history to know - I wish I wasn't...
2006-10-23 04:35:10 · answer #3 · answered by been_around_awhile 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, depends on the situation !
In an orderly situation, the power resides in the authority, since people volunteer to give up their ability to resist, in favour of an authority.
In a chaotic situation, the authority resides in the power, the jungle law, survival of the fittest !
2006-10-23 03:58:43 · answer #4 · answered by Spiritualseeker 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i think of initially authority may be the phantasm that gets get entry to to power achievable. There are people who're so constructive, that they call for authority and get it. Then power is inevitable to maintain on with.
2016-12-16 12:48:25 · answer #5 · answered by starich 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The answer is yes and yes. There is power in authority but authority is power. That's why my personal philosophy is "Question authority, It's not only your right, It's your duty!", "The truth is nothing more than what one chooses to believe!" Remember this, Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely! Give this power to No one! This is the basis of FREEDOM!
2006-10-23 04:08:47 · answer #6 · answered by Ibeeware 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think relgion mixes these two concepts under God. that is the main reason why people feel confused about them. Authority could exist without power and vice versa. That means that neither exists in the other, it's just that they're mixed with eachother most of the time
2006-10-23 04:08:51 · answer #7 · answered by hanna a 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the answer is both, there is power both ways, i think the question is how is the power used for good of all or a selected few, if it beats down those without it or not, in other affairs is it used used or abused, power is like money, those who use it as a tool can do much good those who worship it as an end to to a means we it trouble
2006-10-23 04:06:47 · answer #8 · answered by menguss 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
power resides in Authority , that is universal truth, however it depends how the authority is utilising the power,
it makes a big difference
2006-10-23 03:50:27 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Power is a condition anyone can reach! They say that someone
in Power becomes an Authority!
Ciao........John-John.
2006-10-23 08:28:31 · answer #10 · answered by John-John 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋