The view that power is not just a physical possession (like an army) but a social reality that must be constantly built and performed through symbols, language, rituals, and consent. A king's power resides not in his muscles, but in the constructed idea of the "divine right of kings" that everyone believes and acts upon. When that construction fails (people stop believing), the power evaporates, no matter how big his army is.
Example: "A police officer's power is constructed. The uniform, badge, and shouted 'Stop! Police!' are performances that build authority in the moment. The Theory of Constructed Power says if everyone suddenly stopped believing in that authority, the officer would just be a person in a costume yelling. Power is a collective agreement to be commanded, endlessly rehearsed."
by Abzu Land January 31, 2026
Get the Theory of Constructed Power mug.The hidden political and economic battle that determines which science gets done, by whom, and for what purpose. This is the dark underbelly of the paradigm struggle: the fight over grants, tenured positions, journal editorships, and prestige. It's where corporate funding shapes research agendas to favor profitable outcomes, where senior scientists block rivals' work, and where governments weaponize research for geopolitical advantage. Truth may win in the long run, but in the short term, power decides which truths get the microphone and the money.
Example: "His groundbreaking paper on a cheap renewable energy storage method was buried for a decade due to a Science Power Struggle. A powerful reviewer with ties to the fossil fuel industry sat on it, called it 'not sufficiently rigorous,' and fast-tracked his own graduate student's competing, weaker paper. The better science lost because it threatened the wrong people's kingdoms."
by AbzuInExile February 1, 2026
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