Problem 1RCQ
What are the temperatures for freezing water on the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales? For boiling water?
SOC 105 – Chapter 13 Government, Power, and Social Movement Government and Structures of Power Power = an ability of individuals or the members of a group to achieve aims or further the interests they hold (even when others resist) = key addendum of most mainstream definitions of power o Example: winning a contested election Compare to Foucault, where discipline and control (forms of power) BOTH constrain AND enable people o Example: categorizing people as mentally ill (person may resist, but not legitimately, and their pathway to recovery and becoming “a productive member of society” runs through allowing themselves to be disciplined by power) Difficult question: is freedom the absence of power (being exerted on you) or the possession of power (to do what you want) Why “difficult” Because different concepts imply different institutions! When power is “legitimate” (justified by widely shared beliefs) it is usually called authority (power rightfully exercised) With the exercise of authority comes the emergence of “citizens,” individuals who have common rights and duties How does “Power” become “Government” The exercise of power in groups is usually organized into some form of collective decision making The earliest forms of government were participatory or direct democracy, where decisions are ma