How to understand power - Eric Liu

Summary

This video explores the concept of power in civic life, emphasizing its significance and multifaceted nature. It defines power as the ability to influence others and identifies six main sources: physical force, wealth, state action, social norms, ideas, and numbers. The video outlines three laws of power: it is never static, it flows like water, and it compounds. It also discusses the importance of understanding and exercising power effectively for civic engagement. The lesson concludes by highlighting the ethical dimension of power, urging viewers to consider their motives and the impact of their actions on the broader community.

Takeaways

• 🌐 Power is omnipresent in daily life and is created by systems that others have established.
• 🤔 Understanding power is crucial for navigating community and civic life, despite the discomfort it may cause.
• 🏛 In a democracy, power is ideally supposed to reside with the people, but discussions about who truly wields it can be controversial.
• 🔍 Power itself is neutral, similar to fire or physics, and it's how it's used that defines its impact.
• 💪 The ability to influence others' actions is the fundamental definition of power.
• 👮‍♂️ Physical force and capacity for violence are among the primal sources of power, evident in police or militias.
• 💰 Wealth is a significant source of power, enabling the purchase of results and other forms of power.
• 🏢 State action, or government, uses law and bureaucracy to compel actions, with power derived from elections in democracies or force in dictatorships.
• 👥 Social norms represent a form of power that influences behavior and can lead to legal changes, operating through peer influence rather than centralized authority.
• 💡 Ideas have the potential to generate immense power when they inspire people to alter their thoughts and actions.
• 👫 Numbers, or the collective voice of many people, create power through expressing shared interests and asserting legitimacy, as seen in movements like the Arab Spring.
• 🔄 Power is dynamic, always accumulating or decaying, and inaction can lead to being acted upon.
• 💧 Power flows like water and can be directed, with politics aiming to channel this flow and policymaking attempting to solidify it.
• 🔢 Power compounds, with the potential to create a cycle of increasing power or powerlessness.
• 📚 Becoming power literate involves understanding the sources and operations of power and recognizing one's ability to influence it.
• 📝 To 'write' power, one must believe in their right to author change, express themselves authentically, and organize both ideas and people.
• 🎯 Setting and pursuing objectives, observing patterns, and adapting strategies are part of practicing power in public life.
• 🤝 The ethical use of power, guided by character, is essential for being a great citizen.

Q & A

What is the general discomfort around discussing power in civic life?

The discomfort arises from the perception that discussions about power and who really has it can seem dirty or even evil, despite power being a neutral concept that governs how any form of government works.

Why is it important to understand power in a democratic society?

Understanding power is crucial in a democracy because it helps individuals be effective, be taken seriously, and not be taken advantage of. It also aids in making informed decisions about community choices and actions.

What is the basic definition of power as discussed in the script?

Power is defined as the ability to make others do what you would have them do, playing out in all arenas of life, including the civic arena where it influences community decisions and actions.

What are the six main sources of civic power mentioned in the script?

The six main sources of civic power are physical force, wealth, state action (government), social norms, ideas, and numbers (a large group of people).

How does the script describe the relationship between wealth and power?

Wealth is described as a core source of power because it creates the ability to buy results and almost any other kind of power, demonstrating its significant influence in various aspects of life.

What role does the state action play in the exercise of power?

State action, or government, uses law and bureaucracy to compel people to do or not do certain things. In a democracy, this power is theoretically given by the people through elections.

How do social norms influence power?

Social norms operate in a softer, peer-to-peer manner without centralized machinery like government. They can influence behavior and even change laws, as seen in the evolution of norms around marriage equality.

What is the significance of ideas in the context of power?

Ideas, such as individual liberties or racial equality, can generate significant power if they motivate enough people to change their thinking and actions, demonstrating the potential of ideas to drive change.

How does the script explain the concept of 'power compounds'?

The concept of 'power compounds' suggests that power begets more power, and similarly, powerlessness begets more powerlessness. This dynamic can lead to a concentration of power unless balanced by laws and regulations.

What are the three laws of power discussed in the script?

The three laws of power are: 1) Power is never static and is always accumulating or decaying. 2) Power flows like water, and politics is about directing this flow. 3) Power compounds, meaning it tends to accumulate and create more power.

What does the script suggest as a way to become more powerful in public life?

The script suggests developing 'power literacy' by learning to read and write power. This involves understanding the sources and dynamics of power, believing in one's right to influence change, and practicing strategies such as consensus building and conflict management.

What is the final question the script poses about the purpose of power?

The script asks whether one seeks power to benefit everyone or only oneself, and whether the purposes are pro-social or anti-social. This question is about character and the ethical use of power.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 Understanding Power Dynamics in Civic Life

This paragraph introduces the concept of power and its omnipresence in daily life, particularly within civic structures. It challenges the discomfort around discussing power and emphasizes its neutral nature, neither inherently good nor evil. The paragraph outlines the importance of recognizing and understanding power to be effective in a democratic society, where power ideally resides with the people. It introduces six main sources of civic power: physical force, wealth, state action, social norms, ideas, and numbers. The laws of power are also presented, illustrating that power is dynamic, fluid like water, and has the potential to compound, affecting the distribution and balance of power in society.

05:01

📚 Becoming Literate in Power: Reading and Writing for Change

The second paragraph delves into how individuals can become more powerful in public life by developing a literacy of power. It suggests mapping out societal power structures and understanding the historical and current dynamics that shape them. The paragraph encourages learning from past strategies employed in similar situations, whether through direct confrontation or more subtle approaches. It stresses the importance of believing in one's ability to effect change and practicing the skills necessary for organizing ideas and people. The process of setting objectives, observing patterns, and adapting strategies is likened to the practice of writing, with the ultimate goal of becoming an effective citizen. The paragraph concludes by posing questions about the purpose of seeking power, whether for personal gain or the benefit of society, highlighting the importance of character in conjunction with power.

Keywords

💡Power

Power, in the context of the video, is defined as the ability to make others do what one would have them do. It is central to the theme as it discusses the dynamics of power in civic life and its various forms. The script uses power to illustrate how it governs government functioning and influences societal norms, making it a key concept for understanding the video's message.

💡Civic Power

Civic power refers to the influence one has within a community or political setting. The script emphasizes that power in a democracy is supposed to reside with the people. It is integral to the video's narrative as it explores the sources and exercise of power in public life, including how it can be used to effect change within a community.

💡Systems of Power

Systems of power are the established structures through which power is exercised and maintained. The video script mentions these systems to highlight the omnipresence of power in daily life and the importance of understanding how they operate to navigate effectively within them.

💡Wealth

Wealth, as discussed in the script, is a core source of power, enabling one to buy results and other forms of power. It is an example of economic power and is relevant to the video's theme by illustrating how financial resources can translate into influence and control.

💡State Action

State action is the power exercised by the government through law and bureaucracy. The script explains it as a form of power that can compel people to act in certain ways. It ties into the theme by showing how governmental power can be a tool for shaping societal rules and behaviors.

💡Social Norms

Social norms represent the collective beliefs and behaviors that are considered acceptable within a society. The video script discusses how norms can influence actions and even lead to legal changes, such as the evolving norms around marriage equality, thus demonstrating their power to shape societal values.

💡Ideas

Ideas are presented in the script as a form of power that can motivate people to change their thinking and actions. Concepts like individual liberties or racial equality are given as examples, emphasizing the potential of ideas to generate significant power when widely embraced.

💡Numbers

Numbers, in the context of the video, refer to the power that comes from a large group of people. The script cites the Arab Spring and the Tea Party as examples of how a mass of people can exert power through collective action, highlighting the significance of numbers in expressing interests and asserting legitimacy.

💡Policymaking

Policymaking is described in the script as the effort to freeze and perpetuate a particular flow of power. It is a process that aims to solidify certain power dynamics through formal policies, which is a key aspect of the video's exploration of how power is maintained and directed.

💡Literacy

In the video, literacy is used metaphorically to refer to the ability to understand and manipulate power. The script encourages viewers to 'read' power by analyzing societal structures and 'write' power by effecting change, positioning literacy as a crucial skill for engaging in public life.

💡Character

Character is mentioned in the video as a determinant of how power is used, whether for pro-social or anti-social purposes. It is a concept that transcends strategy and touches on the moral and ethical dimensions of exercising power, adding depth to the video's discussion on the responsible use of power.

Highlights

Power is the ability to make others do what you would have them do.

In a democracy, power is supposed to reside with the people.

Power is no more inherently good or evil than fire or physics.

Learning how power operates is key to being effective and not being taken advantage of.

There are six main sources of civic power: physical force, wealth, state action, social norms, ideas, and numbers.

Control of the means of force is power at its most primal.

Money creates the ability to buy results and to buy almost any other kind of power.

State action, or government, uses law and bureaucracy to compel people.

Social norms operate in a softer way, peer to peer, and can change behavior and even laws.

An idea can generate boundless amounts of power if it motivates enough people to change their thinking and actions.

A vocal mass of people creates power by expressing collective intensity of interest and asserting legitimacy.

Power is never static; it's always either accumulating or decaying in a civic arena.

Power is like water; it flows like a current through everyday life.

Policymaking is an effort to freeze and perpetuate a particular flow of power.

Power compounds; power begets more power, and so does powerlessness.

To read power means to pay attention to as many texts of power as you can.

To write power requires first that you believe you have the right to write, to be an author of change.

Organize your ideas, then organize other people; practice consensus building and conflict.

Power plus character equals a great citizen, and you have the power to be one.

Transcripts

Every day of your life,

you move through systems of power that other people made.

Do you sense them?

Do you understand power?

Do you realize why it matters?

Power is something we are often uncomfortable talking about.

That's especially true in civic life, how we live together in community.

In a democracy, power is supposed to reside with the people, period.

Any further talk about power and who really has it

seems a little dirty, maybe even evil.

But power is no more inherently good or evil than fire or physics.

It just is.

It governs how any form of government works.

It determines who gets to determine the rules of the game.

So learning how power operates is key to being effective,

being taken seriously, and not being taken advantage of.

In this lesson, we'll look at where power comes from,

how it's exercised and what you can do to become more powerful in public life.

Let's start with a basic definition.

Power is the ability to make others do what you would have them do.

Of course, this plays out in all arenas of life,

from family to the workplace to our relationships.

Our focus is on the civic arena,

where power means getting a community to make the choices

and to take the actions that you want.

There are six main sources of civic power.

First, there's physical force and a capacity for violence.

Control of the means of force, whether in the police or a militia,

is power at its most primal.

A second core source of power is wealth.

Money creates the ability to buy results and to buy almost any other kind of power.

The third form of power is state action, government.

This is the use of law and bureaucracy to compel people

to do or not do certain things.

In a democracy, for example, we the people, theoretically,

give government its power through elections.

In a dictatorship, state power emerges from the threat of force,

not the consent of the governed.

The fourth type of power is social norms or what other people think is okay.

Norms don't have the centralized machinery of government.

They operate in a softer way, peer to peer.

They can certainly make people change behavior and even change laws.

Think about how norms around marriage equality today are evolving.

The fifth form of power is ideas.

An idea, individual liberties, say, or racial equality,

can generate boundless amounts of power

if it motivates enough people to change their thinking and actions.

And so the sixth source of power is numbers, lots of humans.

A vocal mass of people creates power by expressing

collective intensity of interest

and by asserting legitimacy.

Think of the Arab Spring or the rise of the Tea Party.

Crowds count.

These are the six main sources of power, what power is.

So now, let's think about how power operates.

There are three laws of power worth examining.

Law number one: power is never static.

It's always either accumulating or decaying in a civic arena.

So if you aren't taking action, you're being acted upon.

Law number two: power is like water.

It flows like a current through everyday life.

Politics is the work of harnessing that flow in a direction you prefer.

Policymaking is an effort to freeze and perpetuate a particular flow of power.

Policy is power frozen.

Law number three: power compounds.

Power begets more power, and so does powerlessness.

The only thing that keeps law number three from leading to a situation

where only one person has all the power

is how we apply laws one and two.

What rules do we set up so that a few people don't accumulate too much power,

and so that they can't enshrine their privilege in policy?

That's the question of democracy,

and you can see each of these laws at work in any news story.

Low wage workers organize to get higher pay.

Oil companies push to get a big pipeline approved.

Gay and lesbian couples seek the legal right to marry.

Urban parents demand school vouchers.

You may support these efforts or not.

Whether you get what you want depends on how adept you are with power,

which brings us finally to what you can do to become more powerful in public life.

Here, it's useful to think in terms of literacy.

Your challenge is to learn how to read power and write power.

To read power means to pay attention to as many texts of power as you can.

I don't mean books only.

I mean seeing society as a set of texts.

Don't like how things are in your campus or city or country?

Map out who has what kind of power, arrayed in what systems.

Understand why it turned out this way,

who's made it so, and who wants to keep it so.

Study the strategies others in such situations used:

frontal attack or indirection,

coalitions or charismatic authority.

Read so you may write.

To write power requires first that you believe you have the right to write,

to be an author of change.

You do.

As with any kind of writing, you learn to express yourself,

speak up in a voice that's authentic.

Organize your ideas, then organize other people.

Practice consensus building.

Practice conflict.

As with writing, it's all about practice.

Every day you have a chance to practice, in your neighborhood and beyond.

Set objectives, then bigger ones.

Watch the patterns, see what works.

Adapt, repeat.

This is citizenship.

In this short lesson, we've explored where civic power comes from,

how it works and what you can do to exercise it.

One big question remaining is the "why" of power.

Do you want power to benefit everyone or only you?

Are your purposes pro-social or anti-social?

This question isn't about strategy.

It's about character, and that's another set of lessons.

But remember this:

Power plus character equals a great citizen,

and you have the power to be one.