Weber's Definition of Power - Essay Example

What is Steven Luke’s critical of Webers definition of power? What are the advantages of the three-dimensional view of power according to Luke’s? Course Title Instructor Date MAX WEBER’S DEFINITION OF POWER According to Max Weber, power can be defined as an actor in the social system which has the authority to carry out his own will despite resistance from external bodies. The concept of power may be further defined as the set of all the qualities, characteristics and circumstances that put an individual in a situation to impose his own will. The concept of power may be précised further by adding that the command given by a person who imposes power should be obeyed by others. Power is to pursue one’s own objectives against the will of others. According to Weber there are three sources of power, namely economics, normative power and politics. Economic power is the authority over resources, normative power is said to be the control over the belief shared in a particular society, whereas political power is the control over violence in the society (Poggi, 1978). Weber defined domination as an order given by a person that is obeyed by the people. A command as defined by Weber is a basic form through which an individual exercises power over others. Legitimacy as explained by Weber is the validity of any order. It is the entitlement of any ruler to issue a command and also the moral obligation on the people to obey these commands. The system of domination can be protective, stable and inexpensive if there is legitimacy(Smirnov, 2013). STEVEN LUKE’S DEFINITION OF POWER CRITICAL OF WEBER’S According to Steven Luke, if a person has certain power over another he can make the other do things that the other usually does not want to do or would rather not do if not for power being imposed. A successful attempt by any person to make the other person work against own will is the “actual power”(Lukes, 2005). Steven Luke criticized the view of Max Weber by saying that they have not explained that concept of power completely and through many perspectives. He said that the view given by the ancient writer regarding power is superficial as well as restrictive, as that writer was not able to define the concept of power from the perspective of the political issues taking place in a particular state (Lukes, 2005). Steven Luke presented his three dimensions of power. There are three views that have been presented by Steven Luke. The first one is the one dimensional view which states that if a person has power over you he can make you do things that you wouldn’t do otherwise. The two-dimensional view says that power has two faces. The first one is that power is reflected through the concrete decision made by an individual or a group. The second face is when individual exercises power by creating certain barriers in the way or an issue. The three- dimensional view of power is based on the concept of individual biasness in the conception of power. It is basically the power that governs politics and eliminates potential issues. Steven’s concept of power gained a lot of critical acclaim as it has covered various concepts, economical as well as political, regarding the enforcement of power. He explained how by not even enforcing power the politicians have the ability to influence the decisions of the individuals. They can make the public work in their own favor by thinking that the decision they have made will work in their own respective interest. ADVANTAGES OF THREE DIMENSIONAL VIEW OF POWER In the concept of three dimensional view of power the critique focuses on the current issues as well as the potential issues, real and subjective interest, latent and observed conflict and the decision making as well as the control over the political agenda. The critiques of behaviorism studied the concept of power with relation to behavior. They say that conflicts between two parties may affect decision making. Steven Luke further added in his three dimension theory that people behave and act willingly in a way that they think is according to this own interest. This means that the powerful in a way transform the thoughts of the powerless so that they work according to their will because of their own concern. This does not require any coercion or any other forcible constraints. In the three dimension view Luke portrays power as dominance as it does dominate the people intentionally or unintentionally. (Little, 2010) The advantage of three dimensional view of power is that it forms the basis of the political system. The public is made to believe through various channels that all the political leaders will help them to eradicate the problems that they are facing. They cast their vote to the candidate they believe is qualified. They do this by their own will but their actions have been influenced by certain sources. This dimension of behavior is useful for the politicians. This dimension may also play its role while reinforcing certain rules and legislations. When an individual has been convinced that the rules enforced are in his favor he develops this idea that this can be in his own interest. When an individual observes that majority of people are following the rules enforced they start doing so because of the facts that have influenced them that doing this is basically in their own interest. There are various other aspects of Luke’s three dimension power that are very important. These aspects are the interest of an individual, their preferences, beliefs and desires. This concept states that people are the best judges of themselves. They know what is preferable for them and what is not. Therefore they know the best about their own interests. They make a decision which they think is the best among the present alternatives(Dowding, 2006). The three dimensional power allows an individual to look beyond his normal perspective. According to Luke, this concept has allowed various positive changes to occur which can be considered a progress of human beings towards development. A person thinks about the progress and the advancement which is taking place in the external world. These advancements do influence the actions of individuals and encourage them to change themselves for their own betterment. At this point of time the decision made by an individual is basically in his own interests but it has the influence of the world. Many revolutionary changes have taken place in the history because of this three-dimensional power defined by Steven Luke. The industrialization which is responsible for modernizing the world is the result of the same concept. People understood the importance of industrialization and they knew that it would be in their own interest and it would help the economy of the country to grow. People knew what could be the advantages of industrialization and how can it help them to create an ease in their life. This decision was an example of the three-dimensional view of power. Besides all the advantages that lie beneath the concept of three dimensional view of power, there are various aspects that are questioned by people. One of those is that many influential factors that are affecting the decisions of an individual may mislead them. These factors are not always in the favor of the interests of an individual. Often, scenarios are created by others that may divert the thinking of an individual. This concept can easily be used by politicians and other fake leaders to misguide the public. References Dowding, K. (2006). Three-Dimensional Power: A Discussion of Steven Lukes’ Power: A Radical View. Political Studies Review Volume 4, Issue 2, , 136–145. Little, D. (2010, March 14). Lukes on power. Retrieved March 2013, 19, from Understanding Standing: http://understandingsociety.blogspot.com/2010/10/lukes-on-power.html Lukes, S. (2005). Power: A Radical View , Second Edition. Poggi, G. (1978). The State: Its Nature, Development, and Prospects, 2nd Edition. Stanford: Stanford University Press. Smirnov, I. (2013). Power. Retrieved March 20, 2013, from http://www.smirnov.demon.co.uk/socialism/overview/power.htm Read More