~Power packs a punch~. Review on Power - Bertrand Russell

I am always hesitant when approaching Bertrand Russell. No, it’s not a question of competency; rather it’s a question of perspective. Often, I find myself at odds with the great analytical philosopher, so much so that I have to be aware not to overlook his genius where it’s due. Yet, analytic philosophy, or rather, philosophy at large would be incomplete if I don’t give Russell his place in pantheon. To be precise, rather, Russell’s place in the pantheon of great philosophers is very secure; it is I who have to acknowledge that presence. And so, with trembling hands and newfound power, I pick up Power: A New Social Analysis.

Structural lucidity:

One of the fundamental problems that I have with Russell is that I find him impenetrable; perhaps the same way that some people find Heidegger, Sartre or Hegel impenetrable. I have a natural leaning towards continental philosophy, what can I say? Yet, I would be a fool to not acknowledge that Russell’s thought structure is extremely lucid and organised. Each thought is put on paper with a functional completeness. There is no going back and forth, no ‘tangents’ per se, which continental philosophers like to indulge in. For that, I believe Russell’s writing is easy to follow. The reader is guided by Russell’s mind in a thorough and rather historically chronological order. There are 18 chaptersand it is well worth the effort to look into each one.

Chapter 1: The impulse to power

Russell introduces the reader to the central concept of power: desire. According to Russell, man’s chief desire is for power and glory. He goes on further to add that in a sense, ‘desire’ is a manifestation of power. Russell compares the primitive nature of the animal kingdom – whose sole needs are survival and reproduction, to man, an animal whose livelihood is assured (comparatively with other beings on the planet). When livelihood is assured (or rather the prospect of ‘life’ is assured), there is a need to attain ‘perfect happiness’. But herein lies the contradiction – ‘perfect happiness’ is unattainable because contentment cannot last. No man can be content forever. And, thus power becomes a tool through which to attain ‘perfect happiness’ or contentment. It is the love for power that brings about social change – be it a revolutionary (using power through ideals) or a monarch (accepting change to keep himself/herself in a position of power). For Russell, humanity has come a full circle, and it is now returning to the form which was prevalent in the earlier ages.

Chapter 2: Leaders and Followers

Power manifests itself in two forms: explicit (leaders) and implicit (followers). I find this unconvincing because it appears as a huge generalisation on a social aspect. The followers being complicit in their following of their leader is rather a collectivist thought, which ignores the individual goals or motives/agenda that each follower might have in supporting the leader. When Russell extends this metaphor to religion, with Nietzsche in support, he is on a much more solid ground. He goes on to comment on the social inequalities of power, which is an inherent social organisational weakness. Russell has me when he moves on to highlight that men are more likely to follow than lead, because the ‘habit of command makes it easier to bear responsibilities’. He hints on the escapist nature of humans, in the sense, human reason functions on the basis that moral responsibility is tangible. In other words, if given a chance, a man is more likely to shift the ‘blame’ from his shoulders (or at least share it) to somebody else in the event that something goes wrong. The habit of following orders is easy because the moral responsibility in the event of a muck up rests on the leader than the follower (Eichmann’s classic defence of Nazi war crimes - I was just following orders, a good example perhaps?).

Chapter 3: Forms of Power

This chapter is pretty much self explanatory. It introduces the different forms of power that is discussed in subsequent chapters. It also gives a definition of power, for those who are a fan of the concrete rather than the abstract. Power is defined as the production of ‘intended effects’. Thus, if an act inadvertently leads to (directly or indirectly) the desired result then that act involved use of a certain power – whether it was the process or influencing the outcome. The different forms of power are:

Chapter 4: Priestly Power – A discussion of the ‘power’ that religion holds over people, especially the notion of faith. The chapter goes on to highlight what role the people who are invested with the power to influence the faith of the people (priests) play and the potential for abuse.

Chapter 5: Kingly Power – A discussion of the evolution of kingship; from the ‘divine right of kings’ to the present and the role that migration and foreign invasion have played in the destruction of tradition and monarchy, thus establishing the need for a different form of government.

Chapter 6: Naked Power – This sort of power can be seen manifested in the power of the butcher over the sheep, police over conspirators, the State over rebels etc. It is where the enemy or the subject is clearly defined in binaries. The definition becomes a bit taxing but the book once again becomes interesting when Russell begins discussing the part played by naked power in economics and uses Marx as a reference point.

Chapter 7: Revolutionary Power – pretty much self explanatory. It is driven by the desire to bring about social change, or rather, much simply, to bring about a break in tradition. Russell appears to be in two minds about this – whether the revolutionary functions on the larger premise of social change or just wants a break from tradition because he is exhausted from the established status quo. Perhaps both are interrelated? Once again, my struggle with Russell comes to the fore.

Chapter 8: Economic Power – Do I even have to explain this? Every person knows the significance of this in a corrupt nation! Chapter 9: Power Over Opinion – once again, very clear from the title itself. The discussion about propaganda (religious and Nazi) is particularly interesting here. It becomes a bit taxing and repetitive and Chapters 10 – 12, even though substantive, do not offer anything new or refreshing in their perspective so I will not go into detail about them.

Skip to Chapter 13: Organisations and the Individual and Chapter 14: Competition. These two chapters present an interesting take on the dynamics of power. The first chapter posits the individual at odds with the State (as two binaries) with the skew in resources available – the State always has more resources at its disposal than the individual (a heavily left wing socialistic viewpoint which I do not necessarily agree with but am willing to go with the flow). The next chapter posits individual verses individual, with assets and resources discussed at a more personal and individual level. For example, a rich person with economic power ‘influencing’ opinion, showing the basic inequalities between humans and the distribution of power (an idea that was introduced in the early chapters).