Caledonian2 comments on Why Does Power Corrupt? - Less Wrong

28 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 14 October 2008 12:23AM

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Comment author: Caledonian2 14 October 2008 03:02:07PM -1 points [-]

"Ah, now that I've beaten the temptation of power, I can safely make myself the wise tyrant who wields unchecked power benevolently, for the good of all."

Considering that different individuals are virtually certain to have mutually exclusive definitions of 'good', that's not a wise tyrant. That's a very foolish tyrant, who is unlikely to survive the possession of power for any length of time.

Benevolence itself is a trap. The wise treat men as straw dogs; to lead men, you must turn your back on them.