Anvar Chamkin
Power: present and future
1. Why do we need power? 2. Why autocracies are dangerous and democracies unreliable. 3. A project on the future device of power. 4. The book "The device of power: ..."
Read the book at the bottom of the site
Welcome to our website!
Let's start with the question: who is this website addressed to?
- To people whose lives are determined by power; To the authorities: autocrats and democrats; To investors and researchers who can ensure government reform.
Why about power, its present and future?
- The world is clearly not normal; humanity is on the brink of catastrophe. The confrontation between autocracies and democracies has escalated into war in 2022. The cause is a crisis of power: autocracies have exhausted themselves, democracies are unstable. What can people do to avoid becoming victims? Reform the power. To participate and control it, you need to know how it works.
1. About power, why is it needed and why is everything bad, but not hopeless?
What's the point of having power if it creates such problems?
- Power exists to serve the people. More often than not, it's the cause of poverty, violence, war, and other misfortunes.
Why is this?
- Because that's the way it works. Essentially, power can afford a great deal. For example, starting a war, killing opponents, and so on. It's hard to imagine a greater insanity of power. It's hell.
If it creates such problems for people, then it is even more unnecessary?
- The fact is that the primary purpose of power is to govern the state, including the people. As an attribute of the state, power is inseparable from it. Therefore, its existence doesn't depend on the quality of governance. No matter what horrors it perpetrates, power will always exist as long as the state exists.
Is it really that hopeless?
- No. This doesn't mean the people are helpless before power. Yes, power cannot be eliminated, but people can change its content and structure, including its rulers and institutions. Unfortunately, this leads to the emergence of authorities that are both useful to people and dangerous to them.
2. Autocracies and democracies: their characteristics
Peculiarities are qualities inherent to the structure of power and characterize its important features. They define its essence and indicate the presence of problems, especially critical ones.
Power and its types. Thank you, Plato and Aristotle!
Why is it important to understand and define the types and content of power?
- This question has puzzled thinkers since ancient Greece. People use the concepts they coined, "autocracy," "democracy," and others, to define types of power. Each of these concepts conceals a large number of characteristics that allow us to distinguish the nature of power. According to this typology, people can understand and anticipate the behavior of power, change it, evaluate it, discuss it with others, and draw conclusions about its benefits for themselves.
Autocracies are dangerous
What kind of power is autocracy and why is it dangerous?
- This form of power, in the form of one-man rule, has existed for 5,500-6,000 years. Its essence has remained unchanged: it is built on autocracy, coercion, and violence. This requires the use of force and other state resources to maintain and sustain power. At the same time, methods based on the suppression of freedoms, violence, and aggression make this type of power dangerous. It is inconsistent with the development of human civilization, which should be founded on human freedom.
Democracies are unreliable
Why is democracy not a reliable power?
- Modern democracy emerged 250 years ago in the United States. Its subsequent development has been gradual and intermittent. At the end of the 20th century, the rise of authoritarianism halted the development of democracy. A number of countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia once again became autocracies. Overall, the situation speaks to the unreliability of democratic governance. Moreover, the main problem is that it is losing its appeal to the people, which requires reforming its goals, institutions, and structures.
Commentary. The fact is that these authorities are problematic due to their inherent characteristics. Some are dangerous—autocracies; others are unreliable—democracies. What does this mean for the people? On the one hand, it's a worrying sign: these authorities are poor options, and it's not safe to trust them with your life and future. On the other hand, it's a signal to sensible people—they need to address the problem of creating a useful and secure government to which they can entrust their fate.
3. Project "Future Devise of Power"
People are well aware of the government's past, they know its present, but they have no idea about its future. This needs to be created. Let's start by identifying the range of tasks.
All this is interesting, but when can we begin work?
- The demand for power has always existed: that's how human life is organized. Moreover, power is the product of human hands, which means people can also build the future power, but with new opportunities and demands in mind. This work can begin now.
Specifically, where should we begin?
- The problem is creating an image of the future power structure. For now, it is the product of speculation and various fantasies, not the subject of scientific research. This is what needs to be addressed.
Are there perhaps some important areas of work in this project?
- The main conceptual blocks are proposed below as guidelines.
1. The main parameters of the future government
It's highly likely that the evolution of power will not change the existing structural elements of power: power relations, communications, the individual or group of people in power, and the institutions of power. The characteristics of these elements will change.
2. The key element of future power
Of the four basic elements of power: social relations between the government and the people, communications, the subject of power, and the institutions of power, it is communications, i.e. interactions, that determine the main properties and format of power.
3. Drivers of future power
If we accept the hypothesis that each stage of communication development creates the preconditions for a new format of power, then at the stage of information technology (IT) development, the preconditions for its new variants, models, etc. will likely be created.
4. On models of future power
Using artificial intelligence (AI) methods and experiments, it's possible to create various models of government, as well as calculate and evaluate its effectiveness and efficiency.
5. Project organization
We invite everyone to explore, study, and discuss the challenges of the future government. If there is interest in this issue, we will work together to develop organizational forms and action plans.
4. Anvar Chamkin, "The device of power: autocracies are dangerous, democracies are unreliable and its future" 2025, A5, p. 275 (There is no English translation yet. I need a translator)
Anvar Chamkin
The device of power: autocracies are dangerous, democracies are unreliable and its future / - 2025. P. 275.
ISBN 978-5-00166-358-4
Author: Anvar Chamkin
Modern power has become a real threat to people and civilization. The cause lies in the crisis and conflict between states with different systems of government. The confrontation between autocracies and democracies escalated into war in 2022. Powers that lead to crises and conflicts are dangerous and useless. Therefore, they need to be rethought and reformed.
The book contains much important and unknown information about power. We'll explore its purpose, how it's created, and what results. Everything you need to understand and analyze it can be found here.
I invite those interested to discuss issues of government organization and to participate in creating its future.
Introduction …5
1. Power. About its origin, types and their differences …10 2. The structure and functioning of power …25
3. The relationship between the government and the people. Why are they difficult? …40
4. The nature of power. What problems does it create for people? … 60
4.1. On the nature of power that gives rise to misunderstanding and divergence of views on it …61
4.2. How the nature of power hides the vices of people in power (vanity, lies, corruption, etc.) …70
4.3. Tools for strengthening power: religion, ideology, propaganda, social networks … 76
5. On the benefits and assessment of power …84
6. The evolution of power and its change tasks …94
7. Organization of power. Basic elements and structure …103
7.1. Power as a social technology. Its elements …104
7.2. Types and regimes of power. How are they created? …129
7.3. Democracy and autocracy. Their characteristics and possibilities of mutual transformations … 140
8. Authorities and forms of governance: competitive, corrupt, mafia and totalitarian …154
9. State Resources and Power. Their Origin and Why Does It Seize Them? …175
10. Elections. About Their Essence and the Problems They Generate. Why Do Democracies and Autocracies Need Them? …191
11. Information and Power. About the manipulation of power and why does it itself become its victim? …208
12. Crisis of Power: Cause and Dynamics. War as its final stage …216
13. The main intrigue of global development: autocracies vs. democracies …229
14. On the future government …245
Conclusion. Theses …254
Appendix 1. Comparison of government assessments of 23 full democracies with 57 perfect autocracies …256
Appendix 2. "A. Chamkin. Power in Russia. How is it structured, what goals does it serve, and what is it based on?" 2021, 211 p. …276
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