The expression "pyramid of power" has probably been heard by everyone. It can even be said that every person at least once or twice in his life pronounced it in one context or another. But what is meant by it? You will say that it is understandable. And here it is not. Everyone has their own image associated with it, depending on the source from which they picked up this viral expression. Let's take a closer look.
One meaning or many?
They will tell you the phrase "pyramid of power", what is the first thing that comes to mind? For some, ancient Egyptian buildings, for others - a dollar, and still others will longingly remember how they went to a local official.
There will also be those who will start talking about the "Global Predictor", using the information gleaned from conspiracy theorists. Who will be right? Most likely everyone.
The pyramid of power is far from an unambiguous, multifaceted concept. It is never used alone. Its meaning is to the listener (reader) onlyin the context of the topic that the speaker is trying to cover.
The fact is that the concept was born a long time ago. Yes, it turned out to be so capacious that for more than a millennium it has been kept in the vocabulary of many peoples. Power in itself is a burning topic. It is of interest to almost everyone. However, not everyone understands how it is carried out, what is necessary in order to possess it. So the “pyramid of power” is overgrown with all sorts of theories, sometimes close, and more often far from the original (true) meaning.
Pyramid of power in ancient Egypt
For a deeper understanding, you need to turn to history.
Have you seen those very Egyptian pyramids? They contain the sacred meaning of that civilization. It was headed by the pharaoh. He was a god on earth, the owner of everything that was on his lands, and herself, by the way, too.
He himself could hardly control the "property". For this, clans were created, divided into several groups. The vizier de alt with property issues through the work of a large number of assistants. Spiritual life was in the power of the priests. They can be compared with the current media and politicians rolled into one. But the pharaoh was in charge. His will was not challenged. And no one could have had such an idea. In that society, the idea of obedience to authority was assimilated from the cradle. We get the first simple pyramid. Its peak is the pharaoh. Next - the vizier and the high priest. Then - "officials" of lower ranks. And the platform is the people.
Fast to now
When a personbegins to figure out what the pyramid of power is, then invariably comes to an analogy with the Egyptian system. So many centuries have passed, but in fact nothing has changed. Only the power itself has grown, supplemented with technologies and institutions, but the meaning is still the same. There is a peak - people who make decisions that are binding on everyone (like a pharaoh). Next come those who bring them to life and control the "executors". This layer has become wider, multi-stage. It now includes government bodies (state and local), the media, the political system, courts, and so on. Well, the last layer (base) has not changed.
Bottom, as before, folks. On it stands a pyramid of power both thousands of years ago and now. Yes, they also forgot that now it is not so unambiguous. That is, if in Egypt the power emanated from one person, was concentrated in him, now it has disintegrated. In addition to state systems, corporations have also appeared that have no less, and sometimes more power.
Conspiracy theory
Just a few words. Some researchers come to the controversial conclusion that the world is not ruled by governments, but by some invisible force. It is different from rock (or God). These are quite specific people who give birth not to the policy itself (decisions), but to the ideology that leads to certain consequences in the global development of mankind.
There is a lot of information about this. Their pyramid of power looks somewhat different. The peak is a global predictor (those same rulers of the world). Next comes a layer of various, visible to peoplemanagers. These include government leaders and money magnates. They are the arms of the global predictor. Next is the apparatus of governments and corporations. The basics, you guessed it, are the same. There are different ways to approach this theory. There is no direct evidence of its realism.
However, she describes in sufficient detail the meaning of the global pyramid of power.
Key Features
Now you can look at the root, so to speak, of the concept itself. The pyramid is characterized by steps. They talk a lot about them, trying to figure out what they mean. In fact, they are a visual and quite simple demonstration of the hierarchy.
The world (in the Egyptian civilization) is built in steps. And it is very difficult to rise from one level to another (it is easy to fall). So we come to the main characteristic of the pyramid of power. She is hierarchical. It has layers separated from each other by more or less impenetrable boundaries. Remember: “How do I become a general? He has his own son!” This is, of course, exaggerated. Only even in a modern democratic society there is a clear line between the layers. It is easy to only replenish the ranks of the people. No one will mind.
The hierarchical pyramid of power in a democracy is well camouflaged through the introduction into people's minds of the idea that everyone has rights. But try to implement them in reality. Who does not believe, let him begin to create a billion-dollar fortune. They say that representatives of the "old money" do not recognize Bill Gates as their own either.
Pyramidauthorities in Russia
Let's touch on some realities of our life. In the Russian Federation there is a completely open hierarchy of power. It is enshrined in the Basic Law. At the head is the president, elected by open popular vote. But according to his rights, he does not reach the pharaoh. Decisions on the development of the state are made by a collegial body - parliament, and even then not all.
Russia is a federation. Each member has its own representative body. He makes decisions that are within his competence for the local level. This is the legislature. She makes decisions. All the people we elect together make up that same Egyptian pharaoh. There is also an executive branch. These are sort of viziers. They implement and control the execution of decisions. The third branch of government is the judiciary. Its functions include consideration of contentious issues.
The conclusion, unfortunately, can be drawn as follows: millennia have passed, and people have not been able to organize their lives in a new way. The pyramid of power does not lose its relevance.
