http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power
"Power is the ability of a person to control or influence the choices
of other persons. The term authority is often used for power perceived
as legitimate by the social structure.
Power can be seen as evil or unjust; indeed all evil and injustice
committed by man against man involve power.
The use of power need not involve coercion (force or the threat of
force). At one extreme, it more closely resembles what everyday
English-speakers call "influence", although some authors make a sharp
distinction between influence as a more general concept, and power as
intended influence.
The exercise of power seems endemic to humans as social and gregarious
beings.
Much of the recent sociological debate on power revolves around the
issue of the enabling nature of power. A comprehensive account of
power can be found in Steven Lukes Power: A Radical View where he
discusses...
