Domination varies in intensity from mild to absolute unchecked interference

Evidence

Arbitrariness, as we have defined it, may be more or less intense, and this draws attention to the fact that the domination associated with a power of arbitrary interference may be more or less intense too. Suppose that an agent can interfere in the life of another more or less at will: they can act just as their own whim or judgement leads them; they can act at their pleasure. Suppose, moreover, that the agent is subject to no particular difficulty or cost in exercising this capacity to interfere with someone: there is no prospect, for example, of suffering retaliation. And suppose, finally, that the interference in question is the most effective available: it can remove any options that the agent does not like or it can impose unbearable costs on the person’s choice of those options. Such an agent will enjoy an absolute power of arbitrary interference over that person. The only brake on the interference that they can inflict is the brake of their own untrammelled choice or their own unchecked judgement, their own arbitrium. — Philip Pettit, Republicanism, 300

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the limiting case of ‘absolute power of arbitrary interference’ by three conditions: at-will action, low cost, maximal efficacy.
• XREF: The three conditions mirror how analysts grade despotic or coercive control in institutional design — relevant to the trust/institutions reading. — connects to: Equal non-interference does not secure equal status where power asymmetries exist — Philip Pettit, Republicanism: A Theory of Freedom and…, 430; Domination varies by domain, range, and intensity rather than being total — Philip Pettit, Republicanism: A Theory of Freedom and…, 304; Domination becomes a mutual communicative asymmetry, not just objective control — Philip Pettit, Republicanism: A Theory of Freedom and…, 315 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Domination varies by domain, range, and intensity rather than being total #expands (0.90) — Philip Pettit, Republicanism, 304
• Domination consists in a power of arbitrary interference, not interference actually exercised. #expands (0.80) — Philip Pettit, Republicanism, 278
• Domination becomes a mutual communicative asymmetry, not just objective control #expands (0.75) — Philip Pettit, Republicanism, 315