The problem with power is that it attracts sociopaths the way catnip attracts cats. Power is also the way to get things done.
Sociopaths, however, are only interested in furthering collective objectives to the extent this allows them to achieve personal objectives. This is why societies run by sociopaths turn sclerototic (as entrenched interests prove entrenched and those at the top are only interested in personal aggrandizement) and eventually collapse.
In this article Hedges writes about how they destroy themselves, too. That struck me this time.
The problem with power is that it attracts sociopaths the way catnip attracts cats. Power is also the way to get things done.
Sociopaths, however, are only interested in furthering collective objectives to the extent this allows them to achieve personal objectives. This is why societies run by sociopaths turn sclerototic (as entrenched interests prove entrenched and those at the top are only interested in personal aggrandizement) and eventually collapse.