Does Power corrupt ?

[Retro Doomer]

So more of a psychological question do you believe that giving to much power to people corrupts them or do you believe it only brings out what they are truly in the inside
aka they where always twisted but kept in check when they had no power or do you believe they where good or neutral maybe even well intended and that the overwhelming power corrupted them ?

This Question I find it interesting since the saying goes Power corrupts but is it really the case or does it just shows what was already hidden deep inside of people ?

Also its purely non political so no real life Politician example you can use fictional once like if you gained super powers and nobody could stop you anymore stuff like that to comply with the sites rule.

 

[RageBurner]

Power always corrupts, if drunk from the proverbial fountain for long enough. It would steely principles and unflinching self restraint to maintain one's posture.

 

[Retro Doomer]

Power always corrupts, if drunk from the proverbial fountain for long enough. It would steely principles and unflinching self restraint to maintain one's posture.

I also would say it can corrupt more often than not but not always if you truly are strong in hearth and mind you stay good but most Humans are not that strong and get easily tempted or tempted over time.

 

[RageBurner]

I also would say it can corrupt more often than not but not always if you truly are strong in hearth and mind you stay good but most Humans are not that strong and get easily tempted or tempted over time.

Yes. We are not defined by our strengths; rather, we are besieged by our weaknesses.

 

[Retro Doomer]

Yes. We are not defined by our strengths; rather, we are besieged by our weaknesses.

Ironically to become better Humans we have to constantly fight or lesser Human urges which some people do better than others.

This is why someone needs a Strong mind and willpower not to just succumb to it.

 

[jon2]

Two quotes:

"Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible."

- Herbert, Frank (1985). Chapterhouse Dune

"A thief without opportunity sees himself as an honest man. Don’t brag about your morals until you have enough money to fund your temptations."

- attributed to the Nigerian author and social commentator Ugochukw

 

[TruxtonTatsujin]

power corrupts weak men

 

[Elwiwi]

Yeah she does

 

[ArchienineZXAdventArchienineZXAdvent's icon]

I have the feeling that we will see another fight

 

[G.L.a.D.O.S.]

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." ~John Dalberg-Acton/Lord Acton~

 

[contrail_]

Power inherently distances the ones with power from the people over whom they have said power. Great power also increases the amount of people you're responsible for. It is beyond any single individual's capacity to personally care about more than 100-300 people. That's why one death is a tragedy, but a million deaths are a statistic. (look up the term 'monkey sphere')
As for political corruption, it's intrinsically connected to this concept. Imagine you have a childhood friend who ended up becoming a doctor. You get sick but you're having trouble, so you ask your doctor friend for help and he agrees. In doing so, you two have just committed a minor form of corruption. It only gets more complicated on the higher floors of politics.
Essentially, in order for corruption to be completely eradicated, we also have to get rid of the concept of doing your friends favors, which would put them ahead of random people that you don't know. I suppose that's why they say that 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions'.

edit: I'm strictly talking about political corruption here. The news and all the political discussions have rendered the word meaningless and have taken the humanity out of it. I don't know if power corrupts absolutely, but corruption isn't something people can get rid of while we have institutions ran by people, because it's inherently human. Things related to war, blackmail, the criminal underworld's indisputable connection to the political world and people dying is an entirely different can of worms.

 

[Retro Doomer]

Yeah she does

Ah Power would never..

She is honest and pure as a...(Insert something here)

 

[JustLooking123]

Also, as it was evident in Alien War II...

The greater the responsibility, the greater the chance of being unable to handle it.
For it to work correctly, many stars should align... including intentions, knowledge, wisdom, logic, experience, teamwork skills, and more...

Lack of any of them will cause some sort of corruption at some point...
People who can be good at all of them are very rare... and the need for them is very vast...
So, of course, the rate of corruption is very high too... and it can't be helped.

People should level-up and create better versions of themselves over time... and the rate of real good people will increase.
I believe that's the ultimate solution... and we all can help make it reality by trying to be good ourselves.

 

[soulsas]

I believe there are people who seek power and bring out their worst side to assert their point of view, and others who are called to that same power, unable to deny their role as leaders.

 

[monina]

Yeah, have you seen billionaires?

 

[Ikagura]

Yes.


Next question.

 

[Lod 10]

This reminds me of what I've learned in life: giving too much power to a person reveals their true nature. If a person is too good and given too much power, they end up becoming corrupted.A basic example: if we give a person too much money, they end up becoming corrupted, losing the essence of who they were before the money.I learned this saying from life, and I hope you're having a good morning. I'm out of corruption memes today, but I'll show you a meme later to cheer you up.

 

[Zerohour2k12]

Yes, as much as I wanna believe that there are truly good people out there, which there are indeed. They can also change given the circumstances no matter how good they are. Bit of a downer but it's true in a way.

 

[Ikagura]

Tolkien already said it for Lord of the Ring back then.

 

[Lod 10]

Tolkien already said it for Lord of the Ring back then.

I haven't seen Lord of the Rings yet, but I know the ring is very important to the story. It's not exactly hello again, I've seen you around the forum before.But it's true, power corrupts people.

 

[Ikagura]

I haven't seen Lord of the Rings yet, but I know the ring is very important to the story. It's not exactly hello again, I've seen you around the forum before.But it's true, power corrupts people.

I really need to read the books myself, apparently a ton of stuff have been missing in the movies (as good as they are).


Also sorry but the answer: "No it only brings out in people what they where all along (truly good people stay good)" is a bit too Manichaean to my taste as it implies that people are inherently good or bad without any ability to change, as if "bad people" cannot get better (by going back to the "right path") or that good people aren't able to become worse after an event in their lives. People aren't born good or evil.

 

[Lod 10]

I really need to read the books myself, apparently a ton of stuff have been missing in the movies (as good as they are).


Also sorry but the answer: "No it only brings out in people what they where all along (truly good people stay good)" is a bit too Manichaean to my taste as it implies that people are inherently good or bad without any ability to change, as if "bad people" cannot get better (by going back to the "right path") or that good people aren't able to become worse after an event in their lives. People aren't born good or evil.

Relax, sorry if I bothered you, I was just curious about your answer. Nice to meet you. If we've met before, just let me know, I'm still sleepy so my memory is failing me.

 

[TheMinuMaster]

I love this kind of question, and to answer it, I’ll use Assassin's Creed as my sole reference.

Power doesn't corrupt a man. It merely reveals who he truly is once the bonds of fear are cut. The Templars seek power to control the world, but they forget the purest truth: Nothing is true, everything is permitted. This is not a license for anarchy, but the understanding that we alone are responsible for our own actions. Those who enslave themselves to the desire of ruling over others were already born corrupt.

 

[Tsukishima Tsukishima]

Not corrupts, rather it latently brings it out of all people no matter the naysayer stances we may have currently. It can take a single position of power to start driving our wildest thoughts out into the open and even admitting to the ability to get away with it.