On Power: Difference between revisions
(Created page with "'''* Book: On Power. Bertrand de Jouvenel.''' URL = =Discussion= Auron MacIntyre: "In his book “On Power,” the political theorist Bertrand de Jouvenel explains that power is always seeking to erode barriers to that process of centralization. In its most organic construction, civilization is formed out of overlapping spheres of social sovereignty. Man is a political animal, and none of us exist in complete isolation but instead find ourselves bound into a web of s...") |
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Auron MacIntyre: | 1. Deep Noetics: | ||
"Bertrand de Jouvenel, whose monumental work On Power involves deep dives into the particular evolution of state power throughout the age of European revolutions. Through his specialised focus on one particular historical period, namely the period between the Glorious Revolution in Britain, the French Revolution, and the Communist Revolution in Russia, he showed that the erroneous idea of a separation of powers has become one of the most persistent myths of the enlightenment era. | |||
- "''Attempts have been made, but in vain, to uncover the intentions of the members of the Constituent Assembly. True, they approved the separation of Power into an executive, left with the king, and a legislature, to be taken over by the representatives of the people. True, they also committed local administration to local elected bodies and in that way effected a further division of Power. But these dismemberings of authority, however great the importance attached to them by their authors, are without historical significance. For the Assembly's work, even as its final repentance shows, was, despite itself, the complete transference of Power''" | |||
Bertrand de Jouvenel. On Power. | |||
The reason De Jouvenel could convince me with his analysis was the myriad of examples and facts he presented from the historical record. His deep understanding of European history enabled me to gain insights into the development of state power which had been missing from the theorists I had studied until then." | |||
(https://deepnoetics.substack.com/p/instincts-of-power) | |||
'''2. Auron MacIntyre:''' | |||
"In his book “On Power,” the political theorist Bertrand de Jouvenel explains that power is always seeking to erode barriers to that process of centralization. In its most organic construction, civilization is formed out of overlapping spheres of social sovereignty. Man is a political animal, and none of us exist in complete isolation but instead find ourselves bound into a web of social dependencies and obligations. The family, church, tribe, guild, and fraternity each make demands on and provide for the needs of their members. | "In his book “On Power,” the political theorist Bertrand de Jouvenel explains that power is always seeking to erode barriers to that process of centralization. In its most organic construction, civilization is formed out of overlapping spheres of social sovereignty. Man is a political animal, and none of us exist in complete isolation but instead find ourselves bound into a web of social dependencies and obligations. The family, church, tribe, guild, and fraternity each make demands on and provide for the needs of their members. | ||
Latest revision as of 21:00, 28 September 2025
* Book: On Power. Bertrand de Jouvenel.
URL =
Discussion
1. Deep Noetics:
"Bertrand de Jouvenel, whose monumental work On Power involves deep dives into the particular evolution of state power throughout the age of European revolutions. Through his specialised focus on one particular historical period, namely the period between the Glorious Revolution in Britain, the French Revolution, and the Communist Revolution in Russia, he showed that the erroneous idea of a separation of powers has become one of the most persistent myths of the enlightenment era.
- "Attempts have been made, but in vain, to uncover the intentions of the members of the Constituent Assembly. True, they approved the separation of Power into an executive, left with the king, and a legislature, to be taken over by the representatives of the people. True, they also committed local administration to local elected bodies and in that way effected a further division of Power. But these dismemberings of authority, however great the importance attached to them by their authors, are without historical significance. For the Assembly's work, even as its final repentance shows, was, despite itself, the complete transference of Power"
Bertrand de Jouvenel. On Power.
The reason De Jouvenel could convince me with his analysis was the myriad of examples and facts he presented from the historical record. His deep understanding of European history enabled me to gain insights into the development of state power which had been missing from the theorists I had studied until then."
(https://deepnoetics.substack.com/p/instincts-of-power)
2. Auron MacIntyre:
"In his book “On Power,” the political theorist Bertrand de Jouvenel explains that power is always seeking to erode barriers to that process of centralization. In its most organic construction, civilization is formed out of overlapping spheres of social sovereignty. Man is a political animal, and none of us exist in complete isolation but instead find ourselves bound into a web of social dependencies and obligations. The family, church, tribe, guild, and fraternity each make demands on and provide for the needs of their members.
This network of voluntary and involuntary associations grants us identity and meaning while also providing us with a community within which we can practice virtue. Our dependency on and duty to these spheres sustain and define us, but they also serve as barriers to the centralization of power. Those with very specific familial, religious, and regional identities and obligations are far less likely to follow the dictates of centralized authority. Power must collapse these opposing spheres of power if it is to achieve its goals. Regional authorities, organic identity, and natural hierarchies are all barriers to the centralization of power."
(https://auronmacintyre.substack.com/p/making-sense-of-the-global-managerial)
More information
- Book: Samuel Francis. Leviathan and Its Enemies.