Introduction

Welcome to the PowerMyth Index

Invisible and otherworldly forces have overwhelming influence on our existence. The economy. Levers of government. Spurious minds of the elite. All are complex entities with their own logics, to be controlled only by the small selection of operators who appear to know best. But what has come of this society shaped by experts and their algorithms, aside from a public too anxious and divided to afford even basic opportunity for the poorest among us? The human experience is far too rich to be contained or represented by any rational order, yet claims of universal truth merely reinforce winners and losers of what should be a collaborative story.

Only through the mystical can the unseen be known and humanity find harmony. We can reshape our destinies if we uncover the divine force of Power. Despite how it may often seem, Power is not exclusively held by those supposed experts who know how to wield it. Power can be generated. The forms it takes on are numerous, however, and we are always partially blinded by Myth of our own making. Stories we tell to perceive the world eventually become the unstated, the taken-for-granted, and the assumptions that inform our decision-making. So, only through collective action can we truly comprehend these hidden mechanisms of society.

Individually, we are captured by the influence of what we do not yet know. Together, we can QUESTION EVERYTHING.

Much of our knowledge has been siloed across specialty and identity in a way that obscures patterns. It forsakes our inherent connectedness. So, this website aims to build out Power as a universal contact language so that perspectives across fields of study can be in conversation with one another.

The Blueprint

Every page on the Index is written through its relation to Power, so it is highly recommended to read that section before any others. Regardless, here is a basic summary of key concepts.

Power is much more than a means for people to dominate each other. Instead...

• Power is a ubiquitous force that determines the boundaries of what every person can or cannot do (Realms), both individually and as part of a collective;
• Those who accumulate certain properties, such as wealth and status (Capacitors), have a greater potential to negotiate these boundaries;
• Such influence is baked into the social stabilizers of institutions and culture (Reactors), which can serve to maintain the status quo and reinforce exclusion or foster justice;

This Index attempts to document patterns of action that are commonly used to restrict freedoms (embodied through the Realm Enforcers) and expand them (Realm Expanders), even though the distinction can be fuzzy. The Index also includes two sections on actors: Power Conduits are entities that operate as vessels for Power in unique ways, while Power Generators are those who mostly exist outside society's dominant Realm. All four sections help us understand the various ways Power can manifest.

Oh, and then there's Cyberspace... Well, stay tuned for that section.

Please visit the Sitemap to view all pages. To get situated with the academic debates (and personal decisions) that informed this Index, head to the Bibliography and Resources section.

Epic Disclaimers

I am not a researcher living in a bubble of pure science and reason, nor is this all intended to be some objectively correct lighthouse for the world's problems. Just because I'm compiling a bunch of perspectives doesn't mean I'm absent one of my own, which also comes with limitations and blind spots. All this to say, expect contradictions!! I will criticize Categorization despite doing just that, I will question Academia while being part of it, and so on. Maybe two things can be true at once, maybe there's no such thing as truth, idk. But just keep that in mind I guess?

This Index will be WEIRD AND MESSY FOREVER!!! :O Ideas will keep evolving over time. Expect some pages to be delicately crafted essays while others will just be reference lists for now. Either way, my hope is that each page offers something you can chew on to help reexamine your own experiences.

ALSO! Sometime in the future when I get my life together, the end goal is to turn this project into a collaborative wiki. We need your contributions. We need your disagreements. I just... don't know how to logistically open that up yet?? In the meantime, if you have thoughts, recommendations, or hate mail, please send it my way at belmontindex@gmail.com!