Key Mental Models of Power Flows - Revision history

Marcin at 11:19, 29 March 2026

2026-03-29T11:19:13Z

Marcin: /* Links */

2026-03-29T11:17:09Z

Links

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:17, 29 March 2026
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	=Links=		=Links=
	*See also [[Top Civilization Engineering Books]] on social power		*See also [[Top Civilization Engineering Books]] on social and behavioral power

Marcin at 11:16, 29 March 2026

2026-03-29T11:16:54Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:16, 29 March 2026
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	*Discussion is frequently wrong. For example, when we say $44k median household income, it means an absolute average of x per person when everyone is counted.		=Specific Cases=
			==Narrative Control==
			*Discussion is frequently wrong. For example, when we say $44k median household income, it means an absolute average of $27k per person when everyone is counted in 2026.
			==Empires==
	*imperial power - common power-concentration tendencies in so-called humans - [[48 Laws of Power]]		*imperial power - common power-concentration tendencies in so-called humans - [[48 Laws of Power]]
	*influencing behavior -		*influencing behavior -
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	Together, this shows the evolution of power from physical force → institutions → capital → platforms.		Together, this shows the evolution of power from physical force → institutions → capital → platforms.

			=Links=
			*See also [[Top Civilization Engineering Books]] on social power

Marcin at 11:14, 29 March 2026

2026-03-29T11:14:26Z

Show changes

Marcin at 11:12, 29 March 2026

2026-03-29T11:12:40Z

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Marcin at 11:10, 29 March 2026

2026-03-29T11:10:06Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:10, 29 March 2026
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	*imperial power - common power-concentration tendencies in so-called humans - [[48 Laws of Power]]		*imperial power - common power-concentration tendencies in so-called humans - [[48 Laws of Power]]
	*influencing behavior -		*influencing behavior -

			= Civilization Power Flows Canon (Minimum Viable Stack) =

			{\| class="wikitable"
			! Book !! Domain !! Key Operational Value !! Link
			\|-
			\| The 48 Laws of Power
			\| Power strategy
			\| Codifies historical patterns of power acquisition, manipulation, and survival in competitive environments.
			\| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_48_Laws_of_Power
			\|-
			\| The Prince
			\| Political power
			\| Practical guide to statecraft; maintaining power through strategy, perception, and force when necessary.
			\| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prince
			\|-
			\| The Art of War
			\| Strategy
			\| Strategic doctrine for conflict, deception, positioning, and indirect control.
			\| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_War
			\|-
			\| On War
			\| Military theory
			\| Analysis of war as continuation of politics; introduces friction, fog of war, and strategic realism.
			\| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_War
			\|-
			\| Propaganda
			\| Narrative control
			\| Explains how mass opinion is shaped and managed through media and institutions.
			\| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_(book)
			\|-
			\| Manufacturing Consent
			\| Media systems
			\| Structural analysis of how media filters shape public perception and political outcomes.
			\| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufacturing_Consent
			\|-
			\| The Power Broker
			\| Institutional power
			\| Case study of Robert Moses; demonstrates how infrastructure control translates into political dominance.
			\| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_Broker
			\|-
			\| Seeing Like a State
			\| Governance failure
			\| Shows how power fails when systems ignore local knowledge; complements power acquisition with failure modes.
			\| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seeing_Like_a_State
			\|-
			\| Elite Theory (The Ruling Class)
			\| Sociology of power
			\| Explains that all societies are governed by elites; analyzes structure and circulation of ruling classes.
			\| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaetano_Mosca
			\|-
			\| The Managerial Revolution
			\| Institutional control
			\| Describes shift from owner capitalism to managerial control of large organizations.
			\| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Managerial_Revolution
			\|-
			\| The Dictator’s Handbook
			\| Political incentives
			\| Explains how leaders maintain power via coalition management and resource distribution.
			\| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dictator%27s_Handbook
			\|-
			\| The Sovereign Individual
			\| Macro power shifts
			\| Predicts shift of power from states to individuals due to technology and capital mobility.
			\| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sovereign_Individual
			\|}

			= Structure of Power Flows =

			* Strategic Layer:
			** The Art of War
			** On War

			* Political Power:
			** The Prince
			** The Dictator’s Handbook

			* Social / Elite Control:
			** The 48 Laws of Power
			** Elite Theory (Mosca)

			* Institutional Power:
			** The Power Broker
			** The Managerial Revolution

			* Narrative Control:
			** Propaganda
			** Manufacturing Consent

			* System Failure / Limits:
			** Seeing Like a State

			* Macro Shifts:
			** The Sovereign Individual

			= How to Use This =

			This stack explains how power actually operates:

			# Acquire and maintain power (Machiavelli, Greene)
			# Understand conflict and positioning (Sun Tzu, Clausewitz)
			# Control institutions (Moses, Burnham)
			# Shape perception (Bernays, Chomsky)
			# Manage coalitions (Selectorate theory)
			# Understand elite dynamics (Mosca)
			# Anticipate structural shifts (Davidson)

			= Bottom Line =

			This is the minimum viable stack for understanding civilization power flows:

			* It spans individual → institutional → geopolitical power
			* It integrates strategy, media, governance, and incentives
			* It exposes both how power is gained and how it fails

			Without this layer, civilization engineering lacks realism about how systems are actually controlled.

Marcin at 09:30, 29 March 2026

2026-03-29T09:30:45Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:30, 29 March 2026
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	*Discussion is frequently wrong. For example, when we say $44k median household income, it means an absolute average of x per person when everyone is counted.		*Discussion is frequently wrong. For example, when we say $44k median household income, it means an absolute average of x per person when everyone is counted.
	*imperial power - common power-concentration tendencies in so-called humans - [[48 Laws of Power]]		*imperial power - common power-concentration tendencies in so-called humans - [[48 Laws of Power]]
			*influencing behavior -

Marcin at 09:30, 29 March 2026

2026-03-29T09:30:22Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:30, 29 March 2026
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	*Discussion is frequently wrong. For example, when we say $44k median household income, it means an absolute average of x per person when everyone is counted.		*Discussion is frequently wrong. For example, when we say $44k median household income, it means an absolute average of x per person when everyone is counted.
	*		*imperial power - common power-concentration tendencies in so-called humans - [[48 Laws of Power]]

Marcin at 09:28, 29 March 2026

2026-03-29T09:28:00Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:28, 29 March 2026
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	*Discussion is frequently wrong. For example, when we say $44 median household income, it means an absolute average of x per person when everyone is counted.		*Discussion is frequently wrong. For example, when we say $44k median household income, it means an absolute average of x per person when everyone is counted.
			*

Marcin: Created page with "*Discussion is frequently wrong. For example, when we say $44 median household income, it means an absolute average of x per person when everyone is counted."

2026-03-29T05:36:42Z

Created page with "*Discussion is frequently wrong. For example, when we say $44 median household income, it means an absolute average of x per person when everyone is counted."

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*Discussion is frequently wrong. For example, when we say $44 median household income, it means an absolute average of x per person when everyone is counted.