How to understand power - Eric Liu

譯者: Yamei Huang 審譯者: 盧 紀睿

Every day of your life,

生活中的每一天，

you move through systems of power that other people made.

是透過他人所制訂的權力系統來活動。

Do you sense them?

你能意識到嗎？

Do you understand power?

你知道什麼是權力嗎？

Do you realize why it matters?

你能了解它的重要性嗎？

Power is something we are often uncomfortable talking about.

權力一直是我們不願多談的話題。

That's especially true in civic life, how we live together in community.

特別適用於生活在城市中的人們， 要懂得如何與社區的人互動。

In a democracy, power is supposed to reside with the people, period.

權力應該歸屬於人民， 是在民主社會特有的現象。

Any further talk about power and who really has it

更加深入地談論權力，以及誰該擁有權力

seems a little dirty, maybe even evil.

好像是一件骯髒，甚至是邪惡的事。

But power is no more inherently good or evil than fire or physics.

但是權力和火或物理學一樣，無關善與惡，

It just is.

權力就是權力。

It governs how any form of government works.

它決定政府單位的所有工作方式。

It determines who gets to determine the rules of the game.

它決定誰有權力去制訂遊戲規則。

So learning how power operates is key to being effective,

所以了解權力如何運作是有效的關鍵，

being taken seriously, and not being taken advantage of.

嚴格地說來，一點好處也沒有。

In this lesson, we'll look at where power comes from,

在這堂課，我們要研究權力從何而來，

how it's exercised and what you can do to become more powerful in public life.

權力如何被運作，以及在公眾的生活下， 你如何獲得更多的權力。

Let's start with a basic definition.

讓我們從最基本的定義關始。

Power is the ability to make others do what you would have them do.

權力就是可以使別人去做 你想要他們做的能力。

Of course, this plays out in all arenas of life,

當然，包含發生在生活中各個領域的事情，

from family to the workplace to our relationships.

和我們有關的，不論是家庭或工作場所都是。

Our focus is on the civic arena,

我們的重點是市民方面的權利，

where power means getting a community to make the choices

這權力是指在一個社群中，可以作選擇

and to take the actions that you want.

以及做你想要做的行動。

There are six main sources of civic power.

市民的權利，有六種主要來源。

First, there's physical force and a capacity for violence.

第一，有體力或能力去抵抗暴力行為。

Control of the means of force, whether in the police or a militia,

警察或民兵以武力手段 來控制暴力的方法，

is power at its most primal.

是權力的最主要來源。

A second core source of power is wealth.

第二個權力核心來源是財富。

Money creates the ability to buy results and to buy almost any other kind of power.

錢可以用來買成果， 也幾乎可以買任何的權力。

The third form of power is state action, government.

第三種權力來源是國家採取行動， 也就是政府採取的行動。

This is the use of law and bureaucracy to compel people

利甪法律以及行政命令去規範人民

to do or not do certain things.

應該要做或不可以做某些事。

In a democracy, for example, we the people, theoretically,

例如：在民主社會，理論上，我們人民

give government its power through elections.

透過選舉給予政府權力。

In a dictatorship, state power emerges from the threat of force,

但在獨裁專政之下， 國家政權來自武力的威脅，

not the consent of the governed.

而不是被統治者同意的政權。

The fourth type of power is social norms or what other people think is okay.

第四個權力來源是社會規範 或是一般人認為的風序良俗。

Norms don't have the centralized machinery of government.

社會規範不存在於中央集權的政府。

They operate in a softer way, peer to peer.

以較寬鬆，個人對個人的方式來運作。

They can certainly make people change behavior and even change laws.

中央集權的政府一定可以改變 人民的行為，甚至可以改變法律。

Think about how norms around marriage equality today are evolving.

想想看，社會規範如何 逐漸形成現今的婚姻平等。

The fifth form of power is ideas.

第五種權力來源是思想觀念。

An idea, individual liberties, say, or racial equality,

一個思想觀念，個人自由， 言論自由，或是種族平等，

can generate boundless amounts of power

如果有足夠的動機 讓人們改變想法及行為，

if it motivates enough people to change their thinking and actions.

便能夠產生無比的權力。

And so the sixth source of power is numbers, lots of humans.

第六種權力來源是數量的優勢， 大量的人頭。

A vocal mass of people creates power by expressing

多數人表達的意見形成權力

collective intensity of interest

聚集利益團體的力量，

and by asserting legitimacy.

來主張其行為的合法性。

Think of the Arab Spring or the rise of the Tea Party.

想想看「阿拉伯之春」 或是「茶黨」的興起便是。

Crowds count.

集體利益的力量佔有一席之地。

These are the six main sources of power, what power is.

就是我所謂的第六種權力來源。

So now, let's think about how power operates.

現在，我們想看看權力是如何運作的。

There are three laws of power worth examining.

有三種權力的法則，值得我們去檢視。

Law number one: power is never static.

第一個法則是：權力不是固定不變的。

It's always either accumulating or decaying in a civic arena.

它不是日積月累， 就是在市民活動中逐漸衰敗

So if you aren't taking action, you're being acted upon.

所以如果沒有採取行動， 你就會被控制住。

Law number two: power is like water.

第二個法則是：權力如水。

It flows like a current through everyday life.

它像水一般貫穿於我們的日常生活中。

Politics is the work of harnessing that flow in a direction you prefer.

政治是往人民喜好的 方向移動的治理程序。

Policymaking is an effort to freeze and perpetuate a particular flow of power.

政策使得人們長久 握有特定的權力。

Policy is power frozen.

政策保有權力。

Law number three: power compounds.

第三個法則是：權力有加乘效果。

Power begets more power, and so does powerlessness.

權力可以招來更多的權力， 沒權力的人就更沒權力了。

The only thing that keeps law number three from leading to a situation

要讓第三個法則從主導狀態

where only one person has all the power

變成一個人擁有至高權力的情況

is how we apply laws one and two.

要看我們如何運用法測一及法則二。

What rules do we set up so that a few people don't accumulate too much power,

我們要建立什麼規則 去防止少數人擁有太多的權力，

and so that they can't enshrine their privilege in policy?

在政策上，把特權奉為圭臬？

That's the question of democracy,

這是民主政治的問題，

and you can see each of these laws at work in any news story.

從新聞媒體中， 你可以看到以上三種法則的運作。

Low wage workers organize to get higher pay.

低工資的勞工們組成工會， 以得到更高的工資。

Oil companies push to get a big pipeline approved.

石油業努力爭取， 以取得建造油管的批准

Gay and lesbian couples seek the legal right to marry.

男、女同性戀者 試圖取得結婚的合法權。

Urban parents demand school vouchers.

城市裡的父母要求提供教育券，

You may support these efforts or not.

你或許支持或不支持這些事。

Whether you get what you want depends on how adept you are with power,

你是否取得你想要的結果， 在於你對權力的熟練度，

which brings us finally to what you can do to become more powerful in public life.

最後導致我們要問做什麼 才可以在公眾生活中變得更有權力。

Here, it's useful to think in terms of literacy.

以讀寫能力的觀點去思考是有用的。

Your challenge is to learn how to read power and write power.

你的挑戰是學習 如何閱讀權力和寫權力。

To read power means to pay attention to as many texts of power as you can.

關讀權力是指 儘你所能去留意原文的涵義，

I don't mean books only.

不只是閱讀書本而已。

I mean seeing society as a set of texts.

而是把社會現象， 看成是一套書本。

Don't like how things are in your campus or city or country?

你不喜歡那些發生你學校、 城市或國家的事情嗎？

Map out who has what kind of power, arrayed in what systems.

制定誰擁有何種權力， 列在何種法律系統，

Understand why it turned out this way,

了解形成結果的原因，

who's made it so, and who wants to keep it so.

誰來制定都一樣， 誰要來擁有它也都一樣。

Study the strategies others in such situations used:

研究在以下情況所使用的策略：

frontal attack or indirection,

正面攻擊或間接襲擊，

coalitions or charismatic authority.

聯盟或個人的魅力威信。

Read so you may write.

有了閱讀，或許你希望能夠寫。

To write power requires first that you believe you have the right to write,

寫權力的第一件事， 是你相信你有寫的權力，

to be an author of change.

一個能適應環境變遷的作者。

You do.

你可以的。

As with any kind of writing, you learn to express yourself,

任何的寫作 要懂得表達自己的意見，

speak up in a voice that's authentic.

毫無顧忌地寫出真實的想法。

Organize your ideas, then organize other people.

將你的想法條理化， 使讀者看了能夠清楚明白。

Practice consensus building.

學習建立共識。

Practice conflict.

學習整合不同意見。

As with writing, it's all about practice.

寫作是要練習的。

Every day you have a chance to practice, in your neighborhood and beyond.

無論題材是在身邊或遠處， 每天都有機會可以練習

Set objectives, then bigger ones.

先設定目標，然後再擴大。

Watch the patterns, see what works.

先模仿，再看其可行性，

Adapt, repeat.

修改以更合適，重複以上這些工作。

This is citizenship.

這是我們身為市民的權利。

In this short lesson, we've explored where civic power comes from,

在這短短的課程中， 我們說明了公民的權利從何而來，

how it works and what you can do to exercise it.

如何運作，以及如何去運用。

One big question remaining is the "why" of power.

最後剩下一個大哉問：「為何」需要權力。

Do you want power to benefit everyone or only you?

你想要權力讓每人受惠， 或是只有你一個人受益？

Are your purposes pro-social or anti-social?

你的目的是有利於社會 還是違害社會？

This question isn't about strategy.

這個問題與政策無關。

It's about character, and that's another set of lessons.

而是與個人的品德有關， 這又是另外一門課題。

But remember this:

但請記住：

Power plus character equals a great citizen,

權力加上品德等於好市民，

and you have the power to be one.

而你有權力成為一個好市民。