In this engaging discussion, Brian Klaas, author of "Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us," dives into the unsettling connection between power and corruption. He reveals how individuals with toxic traits often seek positions of authority, showcasing the 'dark triad' of personality characteristics. Klaas shares fascinating examples, such as a domineering homeowners' association president and a manipulative school janitor. He emphasizes the need for accountability and integrity to mitigate corruption and explores strategies for ethical leadership.
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insights INSIGHT
The Chicken and Egg of Power and Corruption
Power corrupts, but corrupt individuals are also more likely to seek power.
Focusing only on the corrupting influence of power ignores the problem of self-selection.
insights INSIGHT
The Recent Rise of Hierarchy
Human societies' tendency toward hierarchy is relatively recent.
Hunter-gatherer societies were mostly egalitarian, actively suppressing power grabs.
insights INSIGHT
Power Attracts the Dark Triad
Positions of authority attract individuals with specific traits, creating a selection bias.
These traits include a hunger for power and characteristics known as the "dark triad."
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In 'Ultrasociety', Peter Turchin argues that war has been a crucial factor in the evolution of human cooperation, leading to the formation of large, complex societies. He uses the science of cultural evolution to explain how conflict has shaped human history, creating both destructive and creative outcomes. The book challenges traditional views on cooperation and conflict, offering insights into the paradoxical role of war in fostering peace and societal advancement.
Why do corrupt people end up in power?
By way of an answer, you probably think of that famous quote from Lord Acton, "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely." But my guest today, Brian Klaas, would say that's only one part of what leads to corrupt individuals and cultures, the other being that people who are already corrupt are more likely to seek power in the first place. Brian argues that if we ever hope to develop better systems, from our national governments to our office hierarchies, we have to work on both prongs of this dynamic, not only preventing people who gain power from going bad, but encouraging good people to seek power as well.
Brian is the author of Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us, and today on the show, he and I discuss how people who possess the so-called "dark triad" of traits are more attracted to positions of power, how the framing around those positions can either amplify or alter this self-selection effect, and what a tyrannical homeowners' association president and a psychopathic school janitor show us about these dynamics. We also discuss why power does indeed corrupt people and can in fact change their very brain chemistry. Brian explains the importance of accountability in keeping a system clean, and how you can serve in positions of power without becoming corrupted yourself.
The Art of Manliness 
