Name: How to understand power
Uploaded: 2017-09-07T20:39:32Z
Duration: 6 min 47 s
Description: Every day, we move and operate within systems of power that other people have constructed. But we're often uncomfortable talking about power. Why? Eric Liu describes the six sources of power and explains how understanding them is key to being an effective citizen.

Every day, we move and operate within systems of power that other people have constructed. But we're often uncomfortable talking about power. Why? Eric Liu describes the six sources of power and explains how understanding them is key to being an effective citizen. 

Eric Liu: How to understand power

How to understand power

Understanding power is key to civic effectiveness: it shapes governance, determines rules, and influences community choices.

Power's six sources range from physical force, wealth, state action, to social norms, ideas, and collective human numbers.

Three laws of power: it's dynamic, flows like water, and compounds over time, underscoring democracy's role in its distribution.