The Neutrality Of Power

Power cannot exist apart from a being that possesses it, whatever form it may take.  As such, power has no moral nature of its own; it is used justly or unjustly, competently or ineptly, benevolently or maliciously depending on the motives and actions of whoever has it.  A title or privilege can do nothing on its own.  A crown or seat cannot make make someone evil, nor can the actions of an evil leader reflect poorly on the objects themselves.  Once this is accepted, the usefulness of influence or authority becomes obvious.

It is clear even to those who actively demonize power that it is one of the best tools for manipulation, manipulation being yet another target of fallacious critics.  Both are condemned or treated with gratuitous caution because of how some people might use them despite neither having any inherent connection to evil.  When used within the boundaries of morality, manipulation, which requires social power of at least some kind, is one of the most successful ways to get otherwise incorrigible people to avoid living for their own delusions and fallacies.

As long as it is not used in an immoral way, power is free to be used however the wielder wants--social, political, corporate, and intellectual power cannot be legitimately criticized unless the one who holds the power has actually misused it.  Power, like any other things, is inescapably neutral.  Some may use it with rational or just intentions, and some may use it with irrational or selfish intentions, but power itself is fundamentally amoral.  Potential discomfort or fear on the part of those who do not share a certain kind of power are not valid bases for moral concern--especially if those people do not care about truth or their obligations unless they are pressured to.

Even so, many objections to the holding of power are made precisely because some individuals feel frightened by the thought of someone else having a power that they themselves do not also hold.  Sometimes these fears motivate illogical claims about the nature of power, one of the most popular myths among them being that power literally "corrupts" people, as if one's moral character, free will, and ability to reason all vanish or diminish simply because one is in a position of power.

Perhaps one of the reasons why some people object to some arbitrary amount of power, lack of intelligence aside, is the fear that they themselves would misuse the power they see other people wield.  Of course, to think that one person would abuse power because a different person would abuse power is deeply fallacious and is itself unjust.  The only rational and complete stance towards power is one that fully acknowledges its moral neutrality and the moral permissibility of using it to manipulate those who are unwilling to pursue reason and justice on their own.