Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely?

Jump to Last Post 1-4 of 4 discussions (7 posts)
  1. Cagsil profile image71
    Cagsilposted 14 years ago

    Hey Hubbers,

    What do you think? Yes or No?

    Not really looking for discussion, but it might happen anyways.

    Thank you for your time. smile

  2. recommend1 profile image61
    recommend1posted 14 years ago

    This is an insidious lie that excuses those in authority in the same way that the confessional excuses a paedophile priest.

    The Dalai Llama was in absolute authority over Tibet but was not corrupted as far as I am aware, which is why so many people have respect for him, even 50 years after his removal from that power.

    Corruption goes hand in hand with wealth and corrupts through the relationship of wealth with power.

  3. profile image0
    Motown2Chitownposted 14 years ago

    I personally feel that it isn't absolute power that corrupts absolutely, but rather the QUEST for absolute power.  No one ultimately has absolute power over another as long as the other remains free.  But, even the smallest amount of power for someone with questionable character makes them hunger for more.  I think Abraham Lincoln is the one who said (paraphrased) that nearly any man can stand adversity, but if you wanted to test a man's true character, give him power.  It's a maniacal belief that you can take the little power you have and increase it all on your own, and ultimately control everything around you that I truly believe causes the corruption.

    Interesting question.  smile

    1. Cagsil profile image71
      Cagsilposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Quite a profound statement. Adversity happens everyday, power comes and goes, depending upon the character of the person.
      I hope the above isn't your conclusion of Lincoln's statement. Even with that said, what you did post, actually could cause corruption in one form or another.
      Good to know. smile

      1. profile image0
        Motown2Chitownposted 14 years agoin reply to this

        No, I believe Lincoln's words are relevant in that a man's character is TRULY tested when you give him power.

        My opinion (let's see if I can state it more clearly this time) is that once a man of questionable character has a small taste of power, he develops an absolute hunger for it.  In his quest to satisfy that absolute hunger, he can become absolutely corrupt.

        Better?

        smile

        1. Cagsil profile image71
          Cagsilposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          Okay. smile

  4. profile image0
    Stevennix2001posted 14 years ago

    It ultimately depends on the person.  If a person remains humble even after acquiring said power, then obviously not for that particular case.  However, if you have a person that's always been vengeful, or someone that feels like they've been socially repressed most of their lives, then you might see some corruption in power.  Another factor to bear in mind is that the world isn't as black and white as it seems.  As sometimes a strong leader has to be willing to do what's right that may seem unpopular to the rest of the people at the time.

 
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)