We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.——Declaration of Independence
The Emergence of Individual Power#
Traditional "Rights" and "Power"#
In life, people often misuse "rights" and "power," frequently overlooking the value of the term "rights" and misunderstanding the strength of "power." It becomes easier to understand both when explained through Western terminology.
"Rights," in English "rights," comes from Old English "riht," meaning "justice" or "correct." The etymology of this word can be traced back to the Germanic root "rehtaz," which also means "justice" or "correct."
"Power," "power," comes from the Latin word "potentia," meaning "strength" or "ability." This word can be further traced back to the Latin verb "posse," meaning "to be able" or "to have the ability."
In simple terms, "rights" emphasize justice, while "power" emphasizes strength. You infringe upon my rights because rights are just, and thus can be infringed. You cannot infringe upon my "power," because if I have power, rights do not have enough strength to counter it. It is not that rights lack strength, but rather that power is derived from the concentration of many rights; the power of the slave owner comes from the rights of the slaves.
"Rights" Under Objectivism#
However, I do not like this division between "rights" and "power." The Western concept of "natural rights" is certainly appealing, but for someone like me who has long been influenced by "Marxism," I initially found the halo of "rights" quite good, only to later deny it.
If I believed in God, I could naturally speak of "natural rights" and then confidently criticize those unjust actions. This would be simpler and more powerful. Because everyone believes in the existence of rights, then rights exist; because everyone believes in the existence of justice, justice exists.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident," the people believe in social contract theory, which will lead everyone to consciously accept the adjustments of natural law. When people resolve political issues through law, it will enhance the authority of the law. In other words, believing in social contract theory itself will foster a society of social contracts. This is something Marxists cannot evaluate.——《Piercing SocietyThe Fantasy of Contract Theory》
But the problem is, I do not believe. I do not believe that rights are "natural" or "self-evident." In this objective world, no rule can transcend the rules of the world itself; this is objectivism, which is what I believe in.
From "Rights" to "Power"#
So how do we explain rights? In fact, in "What is Justice," this discussion has already explained justice, and rights are justice.
Therefore, justice is a trend that allows all things to receive what they deserve. This trend does not imply an already existing result, but rather changes with the shifts in material power dynamics. Justice does not only exist among humans, but exists in all things that can influence the objective world.《What isJustice》
The material basis that justice relies on is the source of the power of rights. Once the "correctness" of "rights" is stripped away, rights become a form of "power" devoid of any value judgment. This is the rebirth of rights. Only power is sought. But the "correctness" that has been stripped away has not been discarded; rather, it has been unveiled, becoming the source of power.
At this point, the rights of this discussion have transformed into power, and the amusing part is that I had previously been correcting others on the spelling of "rights." However, when in Rome, I prefer to think from the perspective of "power" rather than "right," which is understandable. For those who wish to think from "right," there is no contradiction.
Definition of Individual Power#
So what exactly is an individual's "power"?
Individual Power is More "Real"#
If the rights defined by laws, morals, and various norms are "names," then individual power is a more "real" concept. It does not care about so-called "freedom rights" in human rights, nor about "legal rights" under democratic systems, nor does it mind "state violence" under dictatorship... It only cares about the actual changes and comparisons of power in all things.
Individual Power is Constantly Changing#
Individual power is constantly changing, immersed in the material world, involuntarily drifting with the tides. "Rights" are justice, the benefits that individuals should enjoy. However, the bank of "rights" often takes breaks, and the brilliance of Lady Justice appears intermittently. But "individual power" is a narrower concept; it never overdraws or defaults; it is like the next generation of digital currency, arriving instantly; it is like gravity, exerting influence on everything in the universe at any moment.
Individual Power is Pure Strength#
I once responded to criticisms of "relativism." Justice is always changing; if there is no eternity, what is justice? I answered that a person enjoys justice because they have the qualification to enjoy justice. Animals also enjoy justice, but only the justice of animals. An individual can enjoy the justice of the group because of the substitutability between individuals. However, substitutability is merely a possibility; more often than not, it cannot be transformed into reality, so justice often fluctuates. This actual state is the manifestation of individual power.
Compared to justice within a group, "individual power" is a more microscopic and fundamental concept. It can be the power of an individual, or the power of a group; it can be the power of a pig, or the power of a human; it can be the power of life, or the power of non-life. Individual power is pure strength.
Sources of Individual Power#
In "On Creation," I once said "Creating Without Creation," that nothing in the world is created.
Just as labor creates value, the raw materials of labor are not yours, and the process of labor is merely you following certain rules, so nothing new is created.
Then, I said that originality is a matter of value, not of ontology.
Individual power is the same; it is merely a force. It is unrelated to will; power is objective. No one can create power, nor can anyone obliterate power. Those who hold great power are neither masters of power nor slaves to power; they are merely a cold part of power. Power does not care who climbs onto its body, for it is merely its own hand moving across its body.
Everyone, every life, every material, is part of a game of power. There are no power trendsetters, only power itself.
Everything that is objective has power; only the transcendently objective has no power.
We are objective; we are power. Precisely because we are power, we are subject to power. Bound by the chains of modern slavery, dying under the butcher's knife. We are power; we are the source of power.
The stars are objective, and the stars are also power. Stars are in motion; a solar storm can damage countless devices. A slight change in the sunlight that falls on Earth can make the Earth completely different. A speck of dust is the same; force has no size, nor meaning. It is merely relative, merely an evaluation at the level of value.
Levels of Individual Power#
The changes in power are no different from changes in energy; only that power influences changes in energy in a more sophisticated manner.
The Body is Power#
At the beginning of life, everything is weak and small. With the intake of energy and the plunder of other lives, the body of life gradually grows and matures, gaining powerful energy. Thus, the larger the size, the greater the power. Mammoths, dinosaurs, various large predatory animals... Of course, "in the world of martial arts, speed is the only unbreakable thing." Mass and speed are inseparable.
Intelligence is Power#
On the road of evolution, although physical strength can easily dominate other lives, the enhancement of physical strength is limited.
At this time, intelligence began its evolution. From the complexity of understanding and the complexity of the brain, the ability of intelligence to perceive the world has unprecedentedly improved.
They suddenly realized that although they could not defeat a large predatory animal head-on, through traps, techniques, and tactics, they could kill a creature that could easily defeat them.
Timing, location, and human factors; there are so many forces in this world that can be utilized. As long as one masters the rules, they can use them to achieve their goals; is this not the greatest power?
Power, as a force, does not create. It moves in the world as part of a force. Just as creation, from the ontological level "creating without creation," is merely praised as "creation" from the value level. Similarly, from the ontological level, power is merely "force," only referred to as "power" from the value level. That is to say, the power we use to influence the world's power is insignificant to the world, only enormous to us.
Groups are Power#
However, an individual's strength and intelligence are limited, while the power of a group is immense, almost infinite.
An ant is certainly weak, but an ant colony is terrifying. The structural pattern of a group has the potential to overcome any enemy. Because as long as the number is sufficient, no existence can withstand the consumption of the group. And the cost of [[grouping]] is the transfer of individual power; the entire group must obey the coercive rules formed by the group... The group becomes a group precisely by relying on these.
It is necessary to study the specific grouping methods of animals and insects. However, from various documentaries, we can easily see that in small groups, the level of military power determines many things. They often suppress members through their own strength to obtain the transfer of individual power, thus forming a group.
Humans are no different. The essence of power at the group level is the concentration of strength; the effect is that many hands make light work, and the means are to make individuals obey through various norms and violent games. Of course, there are many ways to centralize power; whether democratic or dictatorial, it is still centralization, just different methods. "A strong people and a weak country" is not an empty talk; it is just that the rules of democracy are more stable. However, differences are often the most important.
In 2024, the world population has exceeded 8 billion. Such a massive population scale is unmatched by ordinary mammals. How to achieve a larger group is the choice humanity faces in the next stage. Which civilization's grouping model can stand out will determine whether the human group can gather even greater power.
Life is Power#
In the previous text, I said, "Everything that is objective has power." But the truly meaningful power is the power of life. Is this objective world a life? Is our planet a life? Is a group a life? Is a cell considered a life? These are not easy conclusions to draw; all things have spirits.
But we can be sure that life is power. Life is the most active part of the objective world; everything about life participates in this rhythm of energy, exerting a power far more brilliant than the stars.
Realization of Individual Power#
After a simple exploration of individual power, a question arises. How to increase individual power? How to gain more benefits? Or what is the use of the concept of individual power? To be clear, I do not know. It reminds me of a concept; to describe a concept, to complete a concept, where can this be understood in just a few thousand words? But I can be certain that viewing power from a more realistic perspective is correct.
Viewing the World from a More Realistic Perspective#
Because individual power is pure strength, this article is not just about exploring humanity.
As long as conditions are met, humans can be prey, can split into two races, or may completely lose their freedom... Individual power is the specific application of objectivism in the realm of life relationships.
Individual power is a form of energy, but this concept itself is a form of understanding. This understanding allows me to better comprehend the changes in life relationships. Why is it that humans raise dogs, rather than dogs raising humans? Why do cats receive better treatment than dogs? Why... In fact, I cannot think of many. But every time I think of a question, I start from individual power, even though I did not previously use this name.
For example, "human rights," "democracy," "the people," "freedom," these words are certainly good, but they should not be considered inherently good. Whether it is human rights or democracy, order or freedom, they all require individual power to support them. In other words, these terms are merely phenomena of individual power, not the most essential individual power. For specifics, refer to Emerging from the Political Dark Forest. For instance, the reason why the people are the people is not the bestowal of the rulers, but the balance created by the strength of individual power. Once the people are deceived into abandoning or diminishing their individual power, these individuals can no longer be called the people, at most they are just commoners.
Enhancing Individual Strength is Natural Yet a Matter of Thought#
In fact, enhancing individual power is not a difficult task. Strengthening the body is the most primitive method of enhancement; being knowledgeable can allow us to leverage external forces to achieve great distances; grouping and centralizing power can enable us to gain power beyond individual reach. As for life being power, it is merely a backdoor that allows us to experience that anything is possible, though we may not be that life.
For example, a person develops from an embryo, to a fetus differentiated from reproductive organs, to a fetus about to be born, to a crawling infant, to a speaking infant, to a school-going child, to a mating teenager, to a fully mature adult, and finally to an aging elder... Individual power varies at each stage. Growth itself is a method of enhancing individual power.
Individual power, every action we take, every thought we have, changes this world; it is just that this change may seem insignificant to others. But individual power is so enchanting; as long as you are changing, individual power is also changing.