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Source: Power, 1938.
More info.：https://russell-j.com/beginner/POWER18_260.HTM
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Today's Words from Russell point to the conditions under which a ruler can be trusted and governance can function effectively. His perspective resonates with the realist view of Machiavelli, the author of The Prince. The essential idea is that trust in a ruler should not depend on his personal "goodness," but on whether the system is structured so that engaging in misconduct would go against his own interests.
This line of thinking is not limited to autocracies of the past; it remains highly relevant in the modern age. In democratic societies today, governance is supposed to be based not on the rule of individuals but on the rule of law. However, no legal system can possibly anticipate and regulate every conceivable form of misconduct in advance. As a result, some individuals inevitably find ways to exploit legal loopholes and act in ways that many people would still consider unfair or dishonest. While most people refrain from such behavior even when it is not technically illegal, there is always a certain segment of the population who are willing to engage in such acts, or in actions that tarnish their public image?if it serves their interests.
President Trump, now in his second term since March, seems to embody this tendency more clearly than most. Nearly every day, the media reports on yet another one of his outrageous or norm-breaking statements. Of course, those who benefit from his actions may not perceive them as problematic.
Still, for many observers, his behavior brings to mind Lord Acton’s famous warning: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
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