Power, its forms, bases, and uses (Key concepts in the social sciences) - Softcover

Wrong, Dennis Hume

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060907029 ISBN 13: 9780060907020

Publisher: Harper and Row, 1980

Synopsis

This is an anatomy of power, a history of the ways in which it has been defined, and a study of its forms (force, manipulation, authority, and persuasion), its bases (individual and collective resources, political mobilization), and its uses. The issues that Wrong address range from the philosophical and ethical to the psychological and political. Much of the work is punctuated with careful examples from history. In his new introduction, prepared for the 1995 edition of Power, the author reconsiders the concept of power, now locating it in the broader traditions of the social sciences rather than as a series of actions and actors within the sociological tradition. As a result, Wrong emphasizes such major distinctions as "power over" and "power to", and various conflations of power as commonly used.

About this title

From the Back Cover

In one grand effort, this is an anatomy of power, a history of the ways in which it has been defined, and a study of its forms (force, manipulation, authority, and persuasion), its bases (individual and collective resources, political mobilization), and its uses. The issues that Dennis Wrong addresses range from the philosophical and ethical to the psychological and political. Much of the work is punctuated with careful examples from history. While the author illuminates his discussion with references to Weber, Marx, Freud, Plato, Dostoevsky, Orwell, Hobbes, Arendt, and Machiavelli, he keeps his arguments grounded in contemporary practical issues, such as class conflicts, multi-party politics, and parent-child relationships. In his new introduction, prepared for the 1995 edition of Power, the author reconsiders the concept of power, now locating it in the broader traditions of the social sciences rather than as a series of actions and actors within the sociological tradition. As a result, Wrong emphasizes such major distinctions as "power over" and "power to", and various conflations of power as commonly used. The new opening provides the reader with a deeper appreciation of the non-reductionist character of the book as a whole.

About the Author

Dennis H. Wrong is professor emeritus of sociology at New York University. He has also taught at Princeton, Rutgers, Brown, the University of Toronto, and the New School for Social Research. He is the author of numerous titles, including Reflections on a Politically Skeptical Era; Power: Its Forms, Bases, and Uses; and The Modern Condition: Essays at Century’s End.

Edition details

• Publisher: Harper and Row
• Publication date: 1980
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060907029
• ISBN 13: 9780060907020
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 326