Est potestas aequa sicut veritas?

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Is power the same as truth? Just because a person who is given authority or other measure of power or control over another has such an ability, does this ability in itself make even a single item they say to be correct? While they may mete out judgments and silence those who offend or disagree with them, due to their ability, does that make their actions right or proper? Does their ability in itself cause any of their decisions to be correct?

Interesting question. Mired in a lot of semantic issues for me. Power is subjective; truth, objective in theory but often subjective in value and merit on the basis of perspective and bias. What is right asks each individual to make a moral judgment, which makes it a matter of popular vote over true quality. Personally, I find no distinct answer. One does not control all scenarios, and without context there is plenty of room for opinions without having articulated basis. Simple answer... no one person or body is perfect; that such imperfection exists in inherent; the existence of error or imperfection does not negate the ability of individuals to influence others, nor does it make their every action questionable; the degree to which any action is 'correct' depends of the observer's own opinions and the degree to which the decision in question affect them personally; methodology can have great influence on the effectiveness of a dissenter's expression.


M.

In another idiom, does might make right? Yes, anyone could argue relativism until they get a lethal form of carpal tunnel syndrome, but that is nonsense.

I would contend that it is not nonsense, but it is a process of examination that breeds self-paralysis... Back to the matter at hand - personally, I do not think that might-makes-right. Just because it is within one's power to do something does not make it the 'right' thing to do. That said, there are also times when the 'right' action is not the popular one - I do not subscribe to the policies of mob rule at the opposite extreme.


M.

Neither oligarchy nor mob rule work very well when they are performed by inherently corrupt humans. One group has a say, the other doesn't.

Well, under an extreme divine command theism, yes, truth and power become synonymous.

I think under our common-sense understandings though, truth and power are quite separate.

I'd prefer might for right. but that probably doesn't address the issue here - I think Zizek argues something along the lines of 'what if truth is partial rather than objective (or that the only way to access truth is by taking sides)? Or in pseudo-hegelian terms what if truth and acting in its name is the perogative of the particular and not the general?'

In vino veritas aber ins beir ist etwas auch.

ruveyn

Truth is about as contained in beer or wine as it is in any other agent which serves to impair judgment.

Give me the power and I will tell you the truth.

I hear statements that are qualitatively honest sometimes and then statements that are meant for people to use to crush their own dreams to sand for the sake of their ongoing mental/emotional health. Might makes right, power is truth, sayings like that I think are things that people need to tell themselves to crush their own inner conflicts and pacify the parts of them that are outraged by reality working unethically or unjustly.

Truth is rather mathematical, formulaic, if a social group does take its half-baked views and ram them down over reality for everyone else - what's true is that they're the strongest and because they're the strongest they're theories, even if wrong, add another dimension that effecively makes a sort of reality (ie. consequences from them rather than truth or reality as independent of them). At the same time the ideas that people know to be wrong generate all kinds of problems, seen whether you are allowed to discuss it or not without serious ramifications to your health, and it goes to show that reality is still the winner at the end of the day. Humans can interject a lower-level reality that runs cross-grain to the broader reality, through their own ignorance, but higher level reality is much more inert and reliable - I'd argue almost as much if not as much as the laws of chemistry, physics, math, etc..

Power has a truth all it's own...

Truth can be considered as knowledge of data, as Boolean true or false, or as correctness in judgments and actions.

Kinda opposite of what Bacon said?

In the case of the perceptions of those under that control, yes.

The grammar is a bit off. I'd recommend "Veritasne aequat potestatem sicut est?" Although, you could arguably remove the "sicut est" and it'd mean the same.

Are you talking about governments, dictators, or both?