--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The vast differences in power contributed…" description: "\"“The vast differences in power contributed to faulty social theories of these differences that are still with us today. When a society is economically ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ad/jeffrey-d-sachs-28149_power_the-vast-differences-in-power-contribute_1270047.jpg" --- # The vast differences in power contributed to faulty social… ![“The vast differences in power contributed to faulty social theories of these differences that are still with us today. When a society is economically dominant, it is easy for its members to assume that such dominance reflects a deeper superiority--whether religious, racial, genetic, cultural, or…” quote by Jeffrey D. Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ad/jeffrey-d-sachs-28149_power_the-vast-differences-in-power-contribute_1270047.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ad/jeffrey-d-sachs-28149_power_the-vast-differences-in-power-contribute_1270047.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ad/jeffrey-d-sachs-28149_power_the-vast-differences-in-power-contribute_1270047.jpg) > ““The vast differences in power contributed to faulty social theories of these differences that are still with us today. When a society is economically dominant, it is easy for its members to assume that such dominance reflects a deeper superiority--whether religious, racial, genetic, cultural, or institutional--rather than an accident of timing or geography.”” [Jeffrey D. Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-d-sachs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He argues that dominant societies often mistakenly view economic power as inherent superiority, ignoring historical contingencies. **In simple terms:** Power is often mistaken for superiority, but it's often accidental. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about power and superiority. Themes politics economics history social theory Mood analytical critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - policy analysis - educational curricula - media commentary - international relations Key Concepts hegemony social constructs geopolitics institutional bias Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing power as contingent change policy? - What can societies do to avoid assuming superiority? A Different Perspective Power narratives can reinforce inequality and bias. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assume Dominance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assume-dominance-4067224/) [Dominance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dominance/) [Dominance Reflects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dominance-reflects-4067223/) [Economically Dominant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economically-dominant-835308/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Social Theories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-theories-1812861/) ## Related quotes > [Virtually no other state concentrates as much political, economic and cultural power in its capital city. Even Paris is less economically dominant than London…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-adonis-baron-adonis/virtually-no-other-state-concentrates-as-much-political-economic-and/) [Andrew Adonis, Baron Adonis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-adonis-baron-adonis/) > [The economic and social theories used by those who take part in the social struggle ought to be judged not by their objective value…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilfredo-pareto/the-economic-and-social-theories-used-by-those-who-take-part-in-the/) [Vilfredo Pareto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilfredo-pareto/) > [Like all social theories, internationalism must seek its basis in the economic and technical fields; here are to be found the most profound and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-lous-lange/like-all-social-theories-internationalism-must-seek-its-basis-in-the/) [Christian Lous Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-lous-lange/) > [“It had never occurred to him that he should live in any other than what he would have called an ordinary way, with green…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/it-had-never-occurred-to-him-that-he-should-live-in-any-other-than/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [Control over a woman is the only form of dominance most men possess, for most men are merely subjects of more powerful men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/control-over-a-woman-is-the-only-form-of-dominance-most-men-possess/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [I think that the global consciousness concerning all those elements that produce tension, fractions of societies, is changing in the sense that we all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilberto-gil/i-think-that-the-global-consciousness-concerning-all-those-elements/) [Gilberto Gil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilberto-gil/) > [Check your testosterone levels. Every study on evolutionary psychology has correlated testosterone levels with dominance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-cernovich/check-your-testosterone-levels-every-study-on-evolutionary-psychology/) [Mike Cernovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-cernovich/) > [“I’m not going to deny that I want to fuck you. I can’t promise a future or that I’ll be some sniveling boyfriend who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-l-hess/i-m-not-going-to-deny-that-i-want-to-fuck-you-i-can-t-promise-a/) [D.L. Hess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-l-hess/) > [Naval dominance of European waters was the largest, longest, most complex and expensive project ever undertaken by the British state and society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-rodger/naval-dominance-of-european-waters-was-the-largest-longest-most/) [Nicholas Rodger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-rodger/) > [“His gentleness was uncompromising; because he would not compete for dominance, he was indomitable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/his-gentleness-was-uncompromising-because-he-would-not-compete-for/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“That was the way of things. He had heard of philosophers who claimed that it was possible to belong to neither group, that all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-cameron-cooke/that-was-the-way-of-things-he-had-heard-of-philosophers-who-claimed/) [R. Cameron Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-cameron-cooke/) > [Unlike all other founders of a religious faith, Christ had no selfishness, no desire of dominance; and His system, unlike all other systems of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-william-howitt/unlike-all-other-founders-of-a-religious-faith-christ-had-no/) [Alfred William Howitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-william-howitt/) > [I sometimes try to imagine what would have happened if we’d known the bonobo first and the chimpanzee only later—or not at all. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/i-sometimes-try-to-imagine-what-would-have-happened-if-we-d-known-the/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [It is way less certain to be a wonderful business in the future. The threat is alternative mediums of information. Every newspaper is scrambling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/it-is-way-less-certain-to-be-a-wonderful-business-in-the-future-the/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [I believe Saddam Hussein's strategic objective was, and remains, to assert dominance over the Gulf region.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandy-berger/i-believe-saddam-hussein-s-strategic-objective-was-and-remains-to/) [Sandy Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandy-berger/) ## More by Jeffrey D. Sachs > [“The energy and daring is to resist the noes, until the final yes has been achieved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-d-sachs/the-energy-and-daring-is-to-resist-the-noes-until-the-final-yes-has/) [Jeffrey D. Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-d-sachs/) > [“Is there a way forward, when campaign financing and mega-lobbying have displaced the common good and have led Americans to despair about the functioning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-d-sachs/is-there-a-way-forward-when-campaign-financing-and-mega-lobbying-have/) [Jeffrey D. Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-d-sachs/) > [“Over the course of nearly a half-century, Cuba, Congo, Ghana, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Iran, Namibia, Mozambique, Chile, Afghanistan, Lebanon, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-d-sachs/over-the-course-of-nearly-a-half-century-cuba-congo-ghana-indonesia/) [Jeffrey D. Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-d-sachs/) > [“The scale of U.S. military operations is remarkable. The U.S. Department of Defense has (as of a 2014 inventory) 4,855 military facilities, of which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-d-sachs/the-scale-of-u-s-military-operations-is-remarkable-the-u-s-department/) [Jeffrey D. Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-d-sachs/) > [“The rich control our politics to a huge extend. In return they get tax cuts and deregulation. It's been and is an amazing ride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-d-sachs/the-rich-control-our-politics-to-a-huge-extend-in-return-they-get-tax/) [Jeffrey D. Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-d-sachs/) > [“Here is my recommendation for President Trump and the new Congress. Turn immediately to our glorious national institutions, the National Academies of Science, Engineering,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-d-sachs/here-is-my-recommendation-for-president-trump-and-the-new-congress/) [Jeffrey D. Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-d-sachs/) > [“The current situation reminds me too much of the fable of the farmer whose chickens are dying. The local priest gives one remedy af-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-d-sachs/the-current-situation-reminds-me-too-much-of-the-fable-of-the-farmer/) [Jeffrey D. Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-d-sachs/) > [“Similarly, though the United States is one of the world’s richest economies by per capita income, it ranks only around seventeenth in reported life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-d-sachs/similarly-though-the-united-states-is-one-of-the-world-s-richest/) [Jeffrey D. Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-d-sachs/) > [“The political beauty of our online age is that it’s now actually feasible—and urgently necessary—to reengage the public in just this way. In Aristotle’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-d-sachs/the-political-beauty-of-our-online-age-is-that-it-s-now-actually/) [Jeffrey D. Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-d-sachs/) > [“four very powerful corporate lobbies have repeatedly come out on top and turned our democracy into what might more accurately be called a corporatocracy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-d-sachs/four-very-powerful-corporate-lobbies-have-repeatedly-come-out-on-top/) [Jeffrey D. Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-d-sachs/) > [“This is an age of impunity, a time when the rich and powerful get away with their misdeeds, and are even lauded for them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-d-sachs/this-is-an-age-of-impunity-a-time-when-the-rich-and-powerful-get-away/) [Jeffrey D. Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-d-sachs/) > [“There is a major economic difference, however, between now and 1991, much less 1950. At the start of the Cold War in 1950, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-d-sachs/there-is-a-major-economic-difference-however-between-now-and-1991/) [Jeffrey D. Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-d-sachs/) > [“we may well look back at the 2016 election as the moment when the corruption and sheer incompetence of Washington became so large and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-d-sachs/we-may-well-look-back-at-the-2016-election-as-the-moment-when-the/) [Jeffrey D. Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-d-sachs/) > [“With higher saving and investment rates, both public and private, directed towards productive capital, the United States could overcome secular stagnation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-d-sachs/with-higher-saving-and-investment-rates-both-public-and-private/) [Jeffrey D. Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-d-sachs/) > [“Come Senators, Congressmen, Please heed the call, Don’t stand in the doorways, Don’t block up the halls…For the times they are a changin’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-d-sachs/come-senators-congressmen-please-heed-the-call-don-t-stand-in-the-2/) [Jeffrey D. Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-d-sachs/) [Explore all 16 Jeffrey D. Sachs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-d-sachs/) ## More Dominance quotes > [I believe Saddam Hussein's strategic objective was, and remains, to assert dominance over the Gulf region.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandy-berger/i-believe-saddam-hussein-s-strategic-objective-was-and-remains-to/) [Sandy Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandy-berger/) > [Check your testosterone levels. Every study on evolutionary psychology has correlated testosterone levels with dominance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-cernovich/check-your-testosterone-levels-every-study-on-evolutionary-psychology/) [Mike Cernovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-cernovich/) > [“I’m not going to deny that I want to fuck you. I can’t promise a future or that I’ll be some sniveling boyfriend who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-l-hess/i-m-not-going-to-deny-that-i-want-to-fuck-you-i-can-t-promise-a/) [D.L. Hess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-l-hess/) > [Naval dominance of European waters was the largest, longest, most complex and expensive project ever undertaken by the British state and society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-rodger/naval-dominance-of-european-waters-was-the-largest-longest-most/) [Nicholas Rodger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-rodger/) > [I sometimes try to imagine what would have happened if we’d known the bonobo first and the chimpanzee only later—or not at all. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/i-sometimes-try-to-imagine-what-would-have-happened-if-we-d-known-the/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [I think that the global consciousness concerning all those elements that produce tension, fractions of societies, is changing in the sense that we all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilberto-gil/i-think-that-the-global-consciousness-concerning-all-those-elements/) [Gilberto Gil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilberto-gil/) > [It is way less certain to be a wonderful business in the future. The threat is alternative mediums of information. Every newspaper is scrambling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/it-is-way-less-certain-to-be-a-wonderful-business-in-the-future-the/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [Control over a woman is the only form of dominance most men possess, for most men are merely subjects of more powerful men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/control-over-a-woman-is-the-only-form-of-dominance-most-men-possess/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [Unlike all other founders of a religious faith, Christ had no selfishness, no desire of dominance; and His system, unlike all other systems of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-william-howitt/unlike-all-other-founders-of-a-religious-faith-christ-had-no/) [Alfred William Howitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-william-howitt/) > [“That was the way of things. He had heard of philosophers who claimed that it was possible to belong to neither group, that all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-cameron-cooke/that-was-the-way-of-things-he-had-heard-of-philosophers-who-claimed/) [R. Cameron Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-cameron-cooke/) > [“His gentleness was uncompromising; because he would not compete for dominance, he was indomitable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/his-gentleness-was-uncompromising-because-he-would-not-compete-for/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [Well, within my business, visual art, the intake is 75 per cent female and yet you look at who has showed their work and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/well-within-my-business-visual-art-the-intake-is-75-per-cent-female/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [In its purest sense, nicknaming is an elitist ritual practiced by those who cherish hierarchy. For preppies it's a smoke signal that allows Bunny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/in-its-purest-sense-nicknaming-is-an-elitist-ritual-practiced-by/) [Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) > [“You can come round to my flat." Toreth's voice changed, sliding subtly into something hard-edged but seductive. "I don't need chains to make you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manna-francis/you-can-come-round-to-my-flat-toreth-s-voice-changed-sliding-subtly/) [Manna Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manna-francis/) > [“Beauty” is a currency system like the gold standard. Like any economy, it is determined by politics, and in the modern age in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/beauty-is-a-currency-system-like-the-gold-standard-like-any-economy/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) [Browse all 288 Dominance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dominance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The vast differences in power contributed to faulty social theories of these differences that are still with us today. When a society is economically dominant, it is easy for its members to assume that such dominance reflects a deeper superiority--whether religious, racial, genetic, cultural, or institutional--rather than an accident of timing or geography.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jeffrey D. 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