Physical force mediates power’s symbolic and organic levels, differentiating political power

Evidence

As the upshot of all these reflections on the theme of physical force, it has to be borne in mind that the widespread idea of an opposition or a one-dimensional polarity, existing between legitimacy and physical force, or between consensus and coercion, is misleading. This idea seems to be concerned with a bourgeois construction which parallels the problem of situating the exercise of physical force in the present, which we have just dealt with. Such a concept is part of the power-code itself, is therefore a prescription for conduct, and suggests that the power-holder should always strive for consensus before using physical force. Such a statement is much too simple for a theory of power and, above all, as a conceptual instrument for the analysis of the relationship between generalizations and the compatibility/incompatibility of media symbols and symbiotic mechanisms. — Niklas Luhmann, Trust and Power, 717 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Power operates through symbolic influence while coercion abandons symbolic generalization; Physical force constitutes power because it asymmetrically orders parties’ relative preferences; Legitimacy and physical force are symbolically interlinked, not opposites — Niklas Luhmann, Trust and Power, 717 (+7 more)

Related

• Physical force achieves effects largely free of symbolic preconditions (similarity 0.94)
• Legitimacy and physical force are symbolically interlinked, not opposites (similarity 0.91)
• Physical force constitutes power because it asymmetrically orders parties’ relative preferences (similarity 0.88)
• Legitimacy and force co-vary through symbolic mediation, not inverse proportion (similarity 0.88)
• Power symbols express stabilized possibility, not resemblance to what is possible. (similarity 0.83)
• Routine life runs on institutionalized legitimate power, not on brutality (similarity 0.80)
• Symbolic definition and coercion both constitute state social control (similarity 0.79)
• Effective power requires asymmetrical preferences over avoidable alternatives (similarity 0.79)
• Symbolically generalized power exceeds linear gains in physical force (similarity 0.79)
• Physical force cannot generate surplus value in other media like truth or love (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Physical force constitutes power because it asymmetrically orders parties’ relative preferences #expands (0.70)
• Physical force achieves effects largely free of symbolic preconditions #corroborates (0.65)
• Legitimacy and physical force are symbolically interlinked, not opposites #complicates (0.60) — Niklas Luhmann, Trust and Power, 717
• Power cannot self-realize but depends on societal-structural conditions for legitimacy #complicates (0.50)