Without doubt, being close to power is corrosive, even on those who may start with higher standards and noble intentions. As for history, not long ago, one of my sons and I were discussing current affairs when I finally had to ask, with exasperation, "With all we know of people and societies and history what leads us to think we should expect it to be any different??!"
I don’t think power corrupts, it tempts. That is problem because those who are drawn to temptation are also drawn to power and those who don’t think they are temptation prone often find the truth to be different from what they imagine.
Good essay. It's not a new idea, we can easily see that most of those who seek power should never be allowed near it. I appreciate your concise presentation of the idea, including quotes from Herbert is like cream and a cherry on top! That said, I suspect your 1:100 ratio may be optimistic. Is it 1:1,000, or more like panning for gold, i.e.: tons of dross for every worthy nugget? I don't know, but I guess it makes the few Washingtons all the more remarkable.
"it is magnetic to the corruptible" kind of implies that power will also corrupt. What harm is there in attracting some corruptible folks if there's no temptation to also actually do the corrupt thing? As other commenters have said, power tempts, terribly. So, when the corruptible get there, the temptation usually fully corrupts them (minus the odd Ron Paul or Thomas Massie and the like).
But it also attracts the already-corrupted, the fallen, the worst among us. Imagine if you were a "bad guy" already, a doer of evil. You'd sometimes fear being caught... caught by whom? Police. To whom do they answer? Elected officials. Ah, so if I become one of them, I wouldn't have to fear being caught any more, the police would be doing MY will! HAHAHA! Now it's obvious why every villain either gets into politics or has bought his share of legislators and judges.
Been saying this for decades, since my first days of working for people. The politicians at work are the same personalities that are the politicians in government. To want to have others under your control, is a character flaw. And always has been. There have been great leaders, but they are few, very few. Being willing to lead,reluctantly, are the leaders you want to see.
Herbert’s line doesn’t just echo Hayek — it annihilates any lingering illusions about meritocracy in power structures. We like to imagine leaders rise through virtue. In reality, power is often a lighthouse for the morally shipwrecked.
Add to that Hannah Arendt’s chilling observation about the “banality of evil” — that the worst atrocities are often committed not by monsters, but by hollow functionaries simply following orders — and Herbert’s warning becomes even sharper. It’s not just that power attracts the corruptible, it normalises them.
Fear may be the mind-killer, but it’s the allure of control that kills the soul.
I think it can also corrupt. Read history, and you see it everywhere.
Without doubt, being close to power is corrosive, even on those who may start with higher standards and noble intentions. As for history, not long ago, one of my sons and I were discussing current affairs when I finally had to ask, with exasperation, "With all we know of people and societies and history what leads us to think we should expect it to be any different??!"
I don’t think power corrupts, it tempts. That is problem because those who are drawn to temptation are also drawn to power and those who don’t think they are temptation prone often find the truth to be different from what they imagine.
Good essay. It's not a new idea, we can easily see that most of those who seek power should never be allowed near it. I appreciate your concise presentation of the idea, including quotes from Herbert is like cream and a cherry on top! That said, I suspect your 1:100 ratio may be optimistic. Is it 1:1,000, or more like panning for gold, i.e.: tons of dross for every worthy nugget? I don't know, but I guess it makes the few Washingtons all the more remarkable.
You are probably right about the ratio
"it is magnetic to the corruptible" kind of implies that power will also corrupt. What harm is there in attracting some corruptible folks if there's no temptation to also actually do the corrupt thing? As other commenters have said, power tempts, terribly. So, when the corruptible get there, the temptation usually fully corrupts them (minus the odd Ron Paul or Thomas Massie and the like).
But it also attracts the already-corrupted, the fallen, the worst among us. Imagine if you were a "bad guy" already, a doer of evil. You'd sometimes fear being caught... caught by whom? Police. To whom do they answer? Elected officials. Ah, so if I become one of them, I wouldn't have to fear being caught any more, the police would be doing MY will! HAHAHA! Now it's obvious why every villain either gets into politics or has bought his share of legislators and judges.
So, power corrupts. (Acton)
Power attracts the corruptible. (Herbert)
Power attracts the corrupt. (obvious)
Been saying this for decades, since my first days of working for people. The politicians at work are the same personalities that are the politicians in government. To want to have others under your control, is a character flaw. And always has been. There have been great leaders, but they are few, very few. Being willing to lead,reluctantly, are the leaders you want to see.
Herbert’s line doesn’t just echo Hayek — it annihilates any lingering illusions about meritocracy in power structures. We like to imagine leaders rise through virtue. In reality, power is often a lighthouse for the morally shipwrecked.
Add to that Hannah Arendt’s chilling observation about the “banality of evil” — that the worst atrocities are often committed not by monsters, but by hollow functionaries simply following orders — and Herbert’s warning becomes even sharper. It’s not just that power attracts the corruptible, it normalises them.
Fear may be the mind-killer, but it’s the allure of control that kills the soul.
https://www.revistavanityfair.es/poder/galerias/el-bromance-entre-trudeau-y-macron-en-14-imagenes/12152