Concentration of power
Overview
Positions of power over time implement systems to increase and maintain that power because the primary reason for people to achieve the position is to have power. Although a position of power might have had positive reasons for existing, over time it mutates into power for powers sake.
As technology and understanding of psychology and social manipulation improve the ability to maintain and expand such positions becomes more dangerous.
Power attracts evil
People who want to obtain power over other people are attracted to and will fight harder to achieve positions of power, whereas a rational kind person's desire not to exert control over others hinders their commitment to achieving power.
People who want to harm others under normal circumstances would be punished by society for doing so, achieving a position of power gives opportunity to act out their desires without consequences.
People who are comfortable lying in order to enrich themselves are attracted to positions that have decision making power as it has opportunity to benefit from corruption.
For these reasons over time evil seeks out positions of power and has more tools available to achieve it.
Human nature
Women chose mates according to their ability to provide, those with power give stronger markers they can provide, this drives men to seek positions of power.
Men have an animal nature to rise above other men, women reward this by being attracted to men who can dominate other men.
Because in a competitive society evil is an effective technique to achieve power, mating drivers for men and women reinforce human nature that would socially be recognized as evil, often men need to perform evil acts to achieve power but will create a narrative and justifications to present the image of not doing evil.
Filtering for leaders
The competitive process to gain power can be looked at as a filtering process to find the strongest, most intelligent, and perhaps most ruthless people to lead.
In situations where survival is at stake this filtering could be justified, when a country is going to war or when clans need to compete for limited resources such leaders could ensure the communities survival, especially if the leaders survival and position of power is tied to the survival of the community.
However as the size of societies grow and survival more likely, these justifications do not outweigh the costs of evil people having power. An example are feudal monarchies who would send populations to war for insignificant reasons with the understanding those in power would never be in danger of death or loss of social status. Parallels could be made with modern leaders and social structures.
In an Izara Community an alternative method of choosing leaders (if needed) is using the scientific method to test potential leaders and results they achieve while maintaining social oversight and control.
Related reasonings
- The animal nature of humans
- Good vs Evil
- Competition vs altruism
- Greed and materialism
- Distribution of power