Nicht Wissen ist auch Macht. Zur Gesprächsdynamik der Eingangsszene in Platons Kratylos

In the introductory scene of Plato’s Cratylus a power game takes place that is based on an asymmetrical distribution of knowledge and which determines the dynamics of the communication. Since Cratylus claims to have greater knowledge than Hermogenes, he puts his discussion partner in an inferior position. Hermogenes strives to balance out this power differential by different strategies. One such strategy is that of including Socrates in the discussion. Socrates reacts to the power differential that Cratylus has built up in a different way from Hermogenes: by the fact that he claims no knowledge for himself but even rejects any knowledge, he succeeds in gaining a position superior to Cratylus and Hermogenes.

The Cold War, Old and New: A Preliminary Comparative Study of Polarity, Polarisation, and Elements of (In)stability

Recently, the term ‘new Cold War’ has become popular among the media and in academia as a description of contemporary world politics, in general, and major-power relations. Despite the connotations of its name, the Cold War period, sometimes referred to as the long peace, was associated with stability and the avoidance of an all-out world war. This study offers a preliminary examination of the extent to which 21st-century world politics reflects the features of the old Cold War. The findings show that the polarity and polarisation inherent in the current international system are similar to conditions of the early Cold War period (1947–1962), which can be classified as both power bipolar and cluster bipolar. Theoretically, this systemic condition is neither most nor least prone to war. However, similar to the pre-1962 Cold War period, when the implicit rules of the major-power game had yet reached maturity, little consensus on the proper conduct of American–Chinese relations has been reached at present, making current major-power politics highly uncertain and prone to conflict that may lead to war.

Multifaceted Aspects of Economic Corridors in the Context of Regional Security: The China–Pakistan Economic Corridor as a Stabilising and Destabilising Factor

This article investigates the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which involves a whole package of multiple cooperative initiatives aimed to accelerate connectivity via land routes and boost Sino-Pakistani collaboration. While channelling Chinese power and interests, this corridor, being a key part of the Belt and Road Initiative, may significantly affect the security landscape in conflict-prone South Asia, and the economic, political and social dynamics within Pakistan. Being a fragile state with multiple domestic challenges and asymmetric position vis-à-vis China, Pakistan is a valuable source for regional power game and China’s aspiration analysis. The comprehensive evaluation of economic corridors’ multidimensional impact on volatile regions with poor socio-economic background, contested political power and high-security risk fills a much-needed gap in contemporary security studies. We contend that CPEC may bring stabilising and destabilising results; yet, if certain conditions are not met, over the long term, the latter are likely to outweigh the former due to the various aspects of internal, bilateral and regional character. To evaluate the corridor’s multifaceted implications, firstly, we conceptualise CPEC within the selected international relations paradigms, and secondly, we empirically refer to our assumptions.

Opposition behaviour against the third wave of autocratisation: Hungary and Poland compared

Hungary and Poland are often placed in the same analytical framework from the period of their ‘negotiated revolutions’ to their autocratic turn. This article aims to look behind this apparent similarity focusing on opposition behaviour. The analysis demonstrates that the executive–parliament power structure, the vigour of the extra-parliamentary actors, and the opposition party frame have the strongest influence on opposition behaviour, and they provide the sources of difference between the two country cases: in Hungary an enforced power game and in Poland a political game constrain opposition opportunities and opposition strategic behaviour.

Escaping the interpersonal power game: Online shopping in China

The increasing popularity of online shopping is now a global phenomenon, and China has become the largest internet market in the world. The reasons behind this preference for online shopping are examined in this study through 63 in-depth interviews and 5 years of virtual ethnography of a major online shopping website in China called Taobao.com. Chinese customers prefer Taobao not only because of price and convenience, but also because they enjoy the interactional process, during which they obtain more information, feel less pressured to put on a status performance in comparison to physical stores, and pay less affective labor. Chinese customers tend to believe that interaction with sales clerks in physical shops is a burden, and try to avoid this form of contact. This is related to the fact that consensus on status hierarchy is still yet to be established in a society that is undergoing rapid transition. Consequently, online shopping entails social interaction that attributes more power, autonomy and freedom to customers than otherwise possible in brick-and-mortar shopping. This study shows how both the online interactional environments afforded by technology and the broader social contexts (the service quality and related aspects of status competition among different social groups in contemporary China) affect interpersonal interaction.

Hubristic Manipulation and Caleb(an) Resistance in Ex Machina

This paper investigates the literary/psychological manifestations in Ex Machina through analysing hubristic attitudes and morally driven resistance to unbridled hegemony. It traces the ways Garland externalized the conflict between human unethical superego and humane alter ego. The modern man’s aspiration to play god through developing a fully sentient AI droid is critically discussed in comparison with the Prospero-Caliban conflict in Shakespeare’s The Tempest as well as Ovid’s Pygmalion. The power game played throughout the drama is also probed in terms of Nathan’s manipulation of Caleb, Caleb’s resistance to Nathan’s hegemony and Ava’s eventually successful counter-manipulations. Besides, it attempts to explore the potentials of psychorobitc art as cinematically featured.