By Thomas Wartenberg - Forms Of Power: From Domination to Transformation (1991-09-05) [Paperback]

by Thomas E. Wartenberg

The concept of power has played a fundamental role in critical reflection about society. However, even the most basic questions concerning the concept of power have been subject to ongoing debate. Examining the ways in which philosophers from Plato onwards have used the concept of power, Wartenberg develops a field theory of power that rejects many of the reigning assumptions made about power. Incorporating the insights of feminist theorists, he argues that power has a positive as well as a negative role to play in social relations. Arguing that an adequate theory of power needs to recognize a plurality of forms of power, the author uses the example of teaching to show the multiple ways in which power is a factor in social relationships. As an important corrective to the consensual and domination models, Wartenberg's field theory gives social theorists and philosophers a more adequate tool for thinking about the nature of power. Author Thomas E. Wartenbert is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Mount Holyoke College.

Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Thomas E. Wartenberg, Ph. D., is a philosophy professor at Mount Holyoke College. His main areas of active research are the philosophy of film, philosophy for children, and the philosophy of art.