essay about great power comes great responsibility

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibilities Essay

This deep-rooted maxim stated by Uncle Ben in the Marvel Comic book “Spiderman” has incredible importance for individuals that aim to achieve great success. Some people choose the path to becoming great and possessing substantial powers. The others look at these people with admiration, but not many get to know the sacrifices these leaders have to make. Holding several large-scale areas of influence in one’s hands demands control, the strength of character, the ability to make decisions rapidly, and admitting failure when the results occurred not as planned. Great front-runners oftentimes have to give away all the other sides of their life to save their powers, respect, and appreciation of the people they are leading. Expanding the control and influence, this one individual has to take responsibility for all the circumstances of his actions. World history knows many examples of crucial decisions taken by the leaders, as well as it remembers decent leaders that were overcriticized by the population. Taking responsibility for people’s future lives, possible failure of the decisions, and performing in the interests of his citizens make a true leader great.

Some of the figures in world history are hard not to mention. The French general and statesman Napoleon Bonaparte drastically changed the country’s military, legal, and educational institutions. He was liable for the change, and he was the individual who had the power to realize it. With France’s ability, Napoleon managed to coordinate Europe into a more robust part lead framework, wrapping Feudalism up and taking the gathering and service under state control (Yepremyan 39). His victory in the middle of the XVIII century made him a king with a vision of making the Europeans great again. In a general sense, less thought expresses results — in the case of the response of the extraordinary powers to the enemies’ progress to conquer France, Napoleon retaliated with anger and vigor. The commitment to lead and make an impact gave Napoleon more prominent duties to spread out better-coordinated game plans as expected by the Europeans for nearly two centuries.

However, being a great power means being prepared to take risks and have a great failure as well. In 1812, during the invasion of Russia, Napoleon was left with one-third of his troops and tricked by the enemy (Bonaparte et al. 113). Brutally cold Russian lands did not spare the soldiers of the European army when they entered empty cities and villages. Later, in October 1813, the troops of Napoleon were crushed at the battle of Leipzig (Bonaparte et al. 156). Forced to exile on the island of Elba, Napoleon is still remembered as a great leader. It is hard to estimate if the ambition and power clouded his mind and made him weaker or if the latter events were simply bad luck. This figure shows the high costs of becoming a great leader.

The Soviet Union was another great power, and its leader Stalin during World War II, managed to defeat Hitler’s army with major success. Stalin was indeed strong, but the question is if he can be called a leader. He managed to gather all the forces of the country and participate significantly in winning the war. At the same time, Stalin is also known as a tyrant as he killed around 20 million citizens (Gugushvili and Kabachnik 332). The brutality of his repressive regime made the people live in endless fear (Gugushvili and Kabachnik 318). On the other side, during the war with the greatest and most disciplined army in the world at that time, Russia needed someone ready to fight using all the resources. The ruler remained in the memory of many a hero. Still, some consider him a villain (Gugushvili and Kabachnik 321). The great power Stalin possessed is undiscussable but his attitude toward civilians is still a question.

The word “great” either refers solely to making the country great in the eyes of other nations or it means providing people with care and support. A true leader will not want to harm his citizens directly, using his power and spreading fear. That is why great responsibilities are following the great power as uncontrolled or focused on limited, influence-based goals cannot lead the people of the country to a good life. Sadly, but truly, Russia has a pattern of suffering from great leaders as their greatness, developed within decades of their ruling, destroys the lives of its citizens. The current geopolitical issue with Ukraine is a result of one overpowerful leader fighting for his influence. The leadership that harms and destroys spreads fear and the feeling of insecurity cannot be called a true one.

It might be hard to estimate from modern times the actions of countries facing the army of Hitler. His beliefs in a supreme race broke all the principles of ethics. Hitler wanted Germany to become a great superpower. Still, the way he spread nationalism with propagandistic approaches gave no choice to people to have other opinions (Fritz 23). Hitler built a great military force that was feared by many countries and could not be defeated for a long time. As world history shows, idealistic approaches tend to crush eventually and quickly take away all the believers in former leaders’ tactics.

This paper discussed three great leaders in the last 250 years of world history: Napoleon, Stalin, and Hitler. This assignment also questions if true leadership takes roots in possession of power itself or if it initiates in care and serving the country’s citizens. The author believes that, in modern times, humans do not need a great superpower. Citizens of each country simply want to live a good-quality life, have no political restrictions, and be friendly to other countries. People want successful trades, growth of the economy, and rational decisions from their leaders. They do not obligatory have to be great and remembered by history as heroes. Ruling by giving, caring, supporting, and being proactive defines a leader of the country. This represents responsibilities, adequate possession of power, and appreciation from the residents.

The modern world does not want superpowers such as France at the end of the XVII century, Great Britain in the XIX-XX century, and the United States at the end of the XX century. The fight between these great powers has led to destruction, deaths, and pain. The current fight of the Russian ruler for his power in Ukraine also confirms the latter. Great power, in this sense, takes responsibilities, high risks, and possibilities of failure. The real leading should be focused on building trustworthy relationships with other nations, developing economies, realizing student exchange, language learning, allowing free media, and spreading the principles of justice, ethics, and mutual respect among individuals.

Works Cited

Bonaparte, Napoleon, et al. The Works of Napoleon Bonaparte: Life & Legacy of the Great French Emperor: Biography, Memoirs & Personal Writings . E-artnow, 2022.

Fritz, Stephen. The First Soldier: Hitler as Military Leader . Yale University Press, 2018.

Gugushvili, Alexi, and Peter Kabachnik. “Stalin on Their Minds: A Comparative Analysis of Public Perceptions of the Soviet Dictator in Russia and Georgia,” International Journal of Sociology , vol. 495, no. 5-6, 2019, pp. 317-341.

Krueger, I. Joachim. “The Phantom of the Omniscient Leader,” The American Journal of Psychology , vol. 133, no. 4, 2020, pp. 509–553. Web.

Yepremyan, Tigran. “Napoleonic Paradigm of European Integration: Theory and History”, Napoleonica. La Revue , vol. 39, no. 1, 2021, pp. 35-53.

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• Napoleon Bonaparte, His Rise and Fall
• Napoleon Bonaparte’s Invasion of Russia
• Stalin's Contributions to the Soviet Union
• Napoleon Bonaparte and Its Revolutions
• Why Do You Think Napoleon Was a Hero?
• Napoleon's Strategy and Tactics
• Ukraine Keeping Its Independence from Russia
• The Rise of Stalin and His Influence
• Stalin’s Rise to Power: Historical Events and Politics of the Figure
• How Hitler Compares to Stalin
• Theories of Managing Cross-Cultural Teams
• William White: Leadership Style
• Discussion: Who Makes a Better Leader?
• Leadership Behaviors, Passion, and Devotion
• Organizational Commitment in the Bahamian Private Sector

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With great power comes great responsibility – Essay, Meaning

January 19, 2020 by Sandeep

Essay on With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility – Expansion of Idea

‘With great power comes great responsibility.’- While most of the world credit fictional character Ben Parker to have first quoted it in the famous Spiderman series, the first person to actually mention it was the 18th century French enlightenment writer named François-Marie Arouet, who is more conventionally remembered as Voltaire.

While what he preaches through, it is suitable for a morally upright person who has been in power, but it does not explicitly apply to every powerful character in this world. Every human wishes to impose his thoughts and ideologies upon others to be able to make life easier for themselves.

Compromise is second to this. Fortunately, most people have to choose the latter only because they are not in possession of power. But ambitious people, who have a vision for their society, nation or the world altogether, often tend to break their limits to attain the position of great power.

It is then, their opinion matters enough to be able to affect the thoughts of the people he is surrounded by. But the most important catch here is how well he manages this great power he has been bestowed with. Does he use it holding on to humane ethics, or does he let it intoxicate his soul?

Power and its influence

Power is a term with varied interpretation, but the core meaning of the word remains the same- to influence any decision and action. This is the sole reason that enamours people to attain it. Power comes in various forms and influences people accordingly. One type is the physical type, the power of the body. Naturally, every non-disabled person is gifted with this one.

The ability to walk, run, lift things and carry out other days to day life activities. Notice how every bodily action that one is capable of is an attempt to influence their surroundings. What differentiates physical power from great physical power is strength.

Power channels its influence through two mediums- respect and fear. Naturally, building muscles, stamina and endurance will give any person the physical ability to achieve things far better than an average human. They can run faster, lift heavier and are hardened.

The natural medium of channelling influence through physical power is fear. It is very evident when a being possessing physical powers beyond our limit, it intimidates us strongly. The 2017 Delhi Zoo incident, where a 22 year old man fell into a white tiger enclosure, which had trended on social media and news channels for various reasons, is a perfect example of how physical power strikes fear in the hearts of physically weak.

We have domesticated small cats but not tigers or lions , just because smaller cats are physically weaker than us, while tigers are physically stronger than us. The case is similar for interpersonal relations too. People would tend to stay on the good pages of a physically strong person; unless they possess power in other sorts.

The power which can counter physical power is mental power. The human brain is the most advanced brain that is known to this planet so far. Inventions and discoveries are evidence of this statement.

While we are the most intelligent species, at the same time, we are also physically fragile, hence to make up for that, we invented many things which help us protect ourselves and preserve our welfare.

A competent person is someone who has knowledge. Wisdom is the weapon of the sages. Hence, the importance of education and general awareness should be instilled in an individual from a young age.

While mind power can get a person some position of power, it is the power of expression that will put them in a much more advantageous position. A good grasp over language and oration attracts people as it is able to stir the emotions inside the common folk.

The best of the world leaders have been unmatched orators who were able to tap into the mob sentiment and harness it to influence their decisions. Paired with exceptional wisdom and experience, the power of expression has emerged as a deciding factor for leaders to be chosen.

Finally, there also exists the power of ethics. We, the people of India, have given unto ourselves a constitution . Similarly have many other nations. The constitution is a general rule book consisting of rules and regulations that govern a country.

This is a major feat as influencing the decisions of people across a whole nation is no easy feat. But legal powers are an artificial power, created and compiled by humans, hence needs human intervention to be enforced upon other people. They can command both respect and fear amongst the citizens of the nation they belong to.

The Power-Responsibility Continuum

Power tends to corrupt; hence great power can lead to absolute corruption. John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, a famous English historian, had once stated- ‘Great men are almost always bad men’. But the way he cautiously added “almost” in his statement is proof itself that this hypothesis has exceptions.

Once in power, it’s easier to give in to the tyrannical temptations it offers than to use it judiciously. Hence it is taken for granted that a man in power is bound to become an autocrat.

But at the same time, Lord Acton’s contemporary, John le Carre, had once said- ‘All power corrupts, but some must govern.’ Hence it takes conscious efforts to keep in check ourselves and not fall into the void of avarice.

The principle of power is to influence, hence once attained; it compels people to skip the morality and infringe others’ rights. The biggest examples of this are the dictatorial states and tyrannical autocracies.

History has been a witness to one of the most brilliant of persons, who after acquiring the position of high power, blatantly gave up on their morality to commit unethical deeds.

The Jewish holocaust is an irredeemable malady that brings Hitler amongst the list of most infamous characters in the history. A brilliant strategist and an exceptional orator, Adolf Hitler had in his hand the power that most dream of.

Yet, lacking morality, he used his powers irresponsibly, which ultimately caused his downfall. Even in the 21st century, we find examples in the form of Arab and African dictators who gave in to the enticement of power. Muammar Gaddafi and Robert Mugabe are two of the best examples of the Modern Era of the irresponsible use of power.

They did start as popular leaders working for the welfare of their people, but over the course, the effects of power started to leak into their ideologies which soon led to the rule of tyranny in Libya and Zimbabwe.

But the Arab Spring was to come sooner or later, with the advent of social media and improvement in global communication which brought in with them the widespread revolutions and civil wars in Africa and middle-east.

Hence, power without responsible attitude doesn’t only bring destruction to the powerful personality, but also over his sphere of influence. Under the intoxication of power, if a person refuses to recognise his responsibilities for society becomes unaccountable and loses the trust of society.

There are enough exemplary personalities who have showcased wise utilization of power to live up to their responsibilities. The father of our nation, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , has been immortalised as the Mahatma. The people identified the righteousness in his use of power and trusted him to be able to lead them in their fight for independence and achieve liberty.

Probably, the most important responsibility of a man in power is the welfare of his people. And this can only be achieved if the man is morally upright and understands the value of empathy. Another famous example comes in the form of Nelson Mandela – the man responsible for the abolishment of apartheid in South Africa and making it a free nation.

What makes him different from Robert Mugabe is the fact that he knew not only empathy for the people of colour, but also their former white rulers. Mandela saw them all in the same light and took the responsibility of the welfare of both the cultures.

But Mogabe was too inclined towards Black Nationalism to the point of radicalism. Although he was able to dominate his country for years together, his flaws finally led to an unfortunate end for him.

Responsibility without power becomes irrelevant too. For a person to carry out his duties and perform up to his responsibilities, it is vital that they hold power. They should be adequately empowered to be able to entrust them with responsibilities.

Hence power and responsibility are always in a continuum, supporting each other in all aspects of life. Responsibility keeps the access of power in check while power provides a medium for responsibilities to be carried out.

Humanity has thrived seeing both the sides of the coin of power and responsibility. On the side of power exercised responsibly, the people in power were successfully able to keep the interest of the public over their self-interests and work selflessly for the improvement of the world.

Such a leader becomes a crowd favourite as he not only is in power himself but also empowers his society. On the other side of the coin are those who imposed their power irresponsibly, prioritising their personal interests over the desires of the public.

This has brought infamy and notoriety to their names and has always ended in their downfall throughout the timeline of humanity. It is important to possess moral values and humane ideologies to be able to accept power and understand the responsibilities that come with them.

It is the ethics of humanity that keep the leaders from succumbing to the temptations of tyranny which is also part and parcel of power.

Power and Responsibility follow the principle of proportionality. All power, great or small, comes with equally sizeable responsibility. Conclusively, power and responsibility are complementary.

As long as they stay together, they can peacefully govern society, but the moment this law is violated, instability gradually claws through the state of the governance.

Quote Investigator®

Tracing Quotations

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

Voltaire? Spider-Man? Winston Churchill? Theodore Roosevelt? Franklin D. Roosevelt? Lord Melbourne? John Cumming? Hercules G. R. Robinson? Henry W. Haynes? Anonymous?

With great power comes great responsibility.

This expression has been attributed to two very different sources: Voltaire and the Spider-Man comic book. Would you please examine its provenance?

Quote Investigator: QI and other researchers have been unable to locate this statement in the oeuvre of Voltaire who died in 1778, and currently that linkage is unsupported.

QI has found a strong match during the period of the French Revolution. The following passage appeared with a date of May 8, 1793 in a collection of the decrees made by the French National Convention. Boldface has been added to excerpts: [1] 1793 May, Title: Collection Générale des Décrets Rendus par la Convention Nationale, Date: May 8, 1793 (Du 8 Mai 1793), Quote Page 72, Publisher: Chez Baudouin, Imprimeur de la Convention … Continue reading

Les Représentans du peuple se rendront à leur destination, investis de la plus haute confiance et de pouvoirs illimités. Ils vont déployer un grand caractère. Ils doivent envisager qu’une grande responsabilité est la suite inséparable d’un grand pouvoir. Ce sera à leur énergie, à leur courage, et sur-tout à leur prudence, qu’ils devront leur succès et leur gloire.

Here’s one possible translation into English:

The people’s representatives will reach their destination, invested with the highest confidence and unlimited power. They will show great character. They must consider that great responsibility follows inseparably from great power. To their energy, to their courage, and above all to their prudence, they shall owe their success and their glory.

Prominent leaders such as Lord Melbourne, Winston Churchill, Teddy Roosevelt, and Franklin D. Roosevelt made similar statements in later years. Also, the appearance of an instance in a Spider-Man story in 1962 was influential in U.S. popular culture.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

A thematic precursor appeared in a well-known Biblical verse: Luke 12:48. The meaning was somewhat different because it did not mention power. The New International and King James translations rendered the verse as follows: [2] Website: Bible Hub, Article title: Parallel Verses of Luke 12:48, Translations: King James Bible and New International Version, Website description: Online Bible Study Suite. Bible hub is a … Continue reading

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

In 1793 the following statement appeared in a volume issued by the French National Convention as mentioned previously:

Ils doivent envisager qu’une grande responsabilité est la suite inséparable d’un grand pouvoir. English translation: They must consider that great responsibility follows inseparably from great power.

In 1817 a debate was held in the United Kingdom House of Commons concerning the suspension of habeas corpus, and a member named William Lamb spoke in favor of suspension. During the following decades Lamb became a powerful political figure, and ultimately he emerged as Prime Minister and now is better known as Lord Melbourne. The transcript of Lamb’s words in 1817 used quotation marks to enclose the maxim indicating that the expression was already in circulation. Please note that the modern reader will find the style of the transcript atypical because it was presented from a third-person perspective. The referent “he” was used to identify the speaker Mr. Lamb: [3] 1817, The Parliamentary Debates from the Year 1803 to the Present Time, Volume 36, Comprising the Period from the Twenty-Eight Day of April to the Twelfth Day of July, 1817, Topic: Habeas Corpus … Continue reading

It was common to speak of the power of the press, and he admitted that its power was great. He should, however, beg leave to remind the conductors of the press of their duty to apply to themselves a maxim which they never neglected to urge on the consideration of government – “that the possession of great power necessarily implies great responsibility.” They stood in a high situation, and ought to consider justice and truth the great objects of their labours, and not yield themselves up to their interests or their passions.

In 1854 the Reverend John Cumming, a Minister of the Scottish National Church, published a religious text that included a thematic statement: [4] 1854, Voices of the Dead by Rev. John Cumming (Minister of the Scottish National Church), Chapter 7: Rejected Greatness, Start Page 110, Quote Page 121, Published by John P. Jewett & Company, … Continue reading [5] 2006, The Yale Book of Quotations by Fred R. Shapiro, Section: Stan Lee, Quote Page 449, Yale University Press, New Haven. (Verified on paper)

The order of God’s providence, and certainly the law of Christ’s Gospel, is, that wherever there is great power, lofty position, there is great responsibility, and a call to instant duty. If your house is very magnificent in its architectural splendors without, and in its furniture within, it is that you should look around you, and take care that the houses in the lanes behind shall not be so miserable and wretched as they are.

In 1858 a Masonic periodical called “The Ashlar” printed a thematic instance that re-ordered the sequence of the two key terms: [6] 1858 April, The Ashlar, Allyn Weston and Charles Scott, Volume 3, Number 8, Duties of the W.M., Start Page 348, Quote Page 348, Published by C. Scott & Company, Printers, Chicago, Illinois. … Continue reading

He cannot act on their judgment, but must be governed by his own. As he has great responsibility, he has great power, and is bound by the strongest obligations to maintain that power and the dignity of his office.

During a speech in 1879, Sir Hercules G. R. Robinson extended the saying by adding anxiety as an inescapable addendum: [7] 1879, Speeches Delivered by His Excellency Sir Hercules G. R. Robinson, G. C. M. G.: During His Administration of the Government of New South Wales, (Vice-Regal Visit to Parramatta: Public Banquet, … Continue reading

But great power carries with it great responsibility, and great responsibility entails a large amount of anxiety.

In 1879 a report by the Trustees of the Public Library of Boston, Massachusetts included a statement from Professor Henry W. Haynes that contained a version of the saying: [8] 1879, City of Boston, Twenty-Seventh Annual Report of the Trustees of the Public Library, City Document Number 78, Start Page 1, Quote Page 12, (Quotation appeared in excerpt of report from Prof. … Continue reading

The possession of great powers and capacity for good implies equally great responsibilities in their employment. Where so much has been given much is required.

In 1906 statesman Winston Churchill delivered a speech in the House of Commons that included an extended instance of the adage: [9] 1906, The Parliamentary Debates (Authorised Edition), Fourth Series, First Session of the Twenty-Eighth Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Volume 152 (First Volume of … Continue reading

Where there is great power there is great responsibility, where there is less power there is less responsibility, and where there is no power there can, I think, be no responsibility.

In 1908 President Theodore Roosevelt wrote a letter to Sir George Otto Trevelyan that included a discussion of his reasons for declining to seek a third term as President: [10] 1920, Theodore Roosevelt and His Time: Shown in His Own Letters by Joseph Bucklin Bishop, Volume 2, (Excerpt of letter dated June 19, 1908 from Theodore Roosevelt to Sir George Otto Trevelyan), Start … Continue reading

I believe in a strong executive; I believe in power; but I believe that responsibility should go with power, and that it is not well that the strong executive should be a perpetual executive.

In 1913 John A. Fitch wrote a commentary that discussed the power of the United States Steel Corporation in the journal “The Railroad Trainman”, and he referenced the adage: [11] 1913 April, The Railroad Trainman, Volume 30, Number 4, The Labor Policies Of Unrestricted Capital by John A. Fitch, Start Page 302, Quote Page 305, Column 2, Published by the Brotherhood of Railroad … Continue reading

It may be no crime to be possessed of great power. But great power carries with it great responsibility as to the use that is made of it.

The night before Franklin D. Roosevelt died he penned a speech about Thomas Jefferson which he was planning to deliver during a radio address. Instead, the text was given to journalists after Roosevelt’s death, and it was released by the Associated Press: [12] 1945 April 14, Daily Illinois State Journal, Speech Written By Roosevelt On Night Before His Death (Associated Press), Start Page 1, Quote Page 2, Column 4, Springfield, Illinois. (GenealogyBank)

Today we have learned in the agony of war that great power involves great responsibility. Today we can no more escape the consequences of German and Japanese aggression than could he avoid the consequences of attacks by the Barbary Corsairs a century and a half before.

The heroic fantasy figure Spider-Man was introduced in the August 1962 issue of the comic book “Amazing Fantasy”. The guiding principle of Spider-Man’s actions was formulated in this origin story and expressed as a caption. However, the words were spoken neither by the main character, Peter Parker, nor by his Uncle Ben. Instead, an omniscient narrative voice was employed: [13] 1962 August (Cover Date), Amazing Fantasy #15 (Formerly: Amazing Adult Fantasy), Comic Book Story Title: “Spider-Man!”, Writer: Stan Lee, Illustrator: Steve Ditko, (Quotation appeared in … Continue reading [14] Website: We Minored in Film, Article title: The Origin of “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility” & 7 Other Surprising Parts of Spider-Man’s Comic Book History, Article … Continue reading

And a lean, silent figure slowly fades into the gathering darkness, aware at last that in this world, with great power there must also come–great responsibility!

In conclusion, based on current knowledge QI would ascribe the saying to the writer of the 1793 passage, but QI does not know the precise identity of this writer. Also, it is certainly possible that earlier close matches will be discovered by future researchers.

In addition, major figures such as Lord Melbourne, Winston Churchill, and Franklin D. Roosevelt employed versions of the adage. The creators of Spider-Man, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, were important vectors for the popularization of the saying.

Image Notes: Scales of Justice from jpornelasadv at Pixabay. Cropped detail from the painting (Storming the Tuileries) Prise du palais des Tuileries le 10 août 1792, durant la Révolution française by Jean Duplessis-Bertaux via Wikimedia Commons. Two panel low-resolution excerpt from the Spider-Man story in “Amazing Fantasy” used for educational purposes under the Fair Use doctrine.

Update History: On July 24, 2015 the 1817 citation was added.

(Great thanks to Sandra Ikuta whose inquiry about this interesting topic led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration. Many thanks to S. M. Colowick and Anton Sherwood for providing translations of the 1793 passage. All errors are the responsibility of QI. Also thanks to Kelly Di Donato, Charles Early, and Murl Winters who pointed to the biblical reference. In addition, thanks to the “Yale Book of Quotations” for identifying the 1854 citation. Further thanks to Vaios K. who mentioned the 1817 citation in a response at Yahoo! Answers.)

‘With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility’: From Age-Old Axiom to Spider-Man’s Mantra

It all started with Jesus. Or Muhammad. Or the Reign of Terror.

By Ellen Gutoskey | Mar 29, 2024

While writing the majority opinion for a 2015 Supreme Court case involving royalties for toy web shooters, Justice Elena Kagan seized the opportunity to toss in a few nods to Spider-Man. 

“[In] this world, with great power there must also come—great responsibility,” she wrote, in reference to the court’s restraint at overturning precedent.

That axiom, often rendered as with great power comes great responsibility , is most closely associated with Peter Parker’s uncle Ben. But Uncle Ben didn’t originate it—and in fact, he wasn’t even the first fictional father figure to say it to a young superhero.

Who Said “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility”?

World leaders take up the torch, spider-man: here he comes.

People have been articulating the idea that power comes with responsibility for at least a couple thousand years. You can see shades of it in Christianity’s Parable of the Faithful Servant, in which Jesus tells his disciples that a servant placed in charge of the household shouldn’t take advantage of their master’s absence by carousing and mistreating the other servants.

“For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required,” reads one iteration in the New King James Version of the Bible . Islam has a similar message in one of the prophet Muhammad’s hadiths , translated from Arabic as “All of you are shepherds and every one of you is responsible for his herd.”

Though Voltaire is sometimes credited with coining the phrase with great power comes great responsibility , Quote Investigator couldn’t locate it in any of his writings. The earliest citation they identified is from 15 years after Voltaire’s death, in a 1793 decree written by members of France’s National Convention (the assembly that replaced the monarchy during the French Revolution ).

“ [Les Représentans du peuple] doivent envisager qu’une grande responsabilité est la suite inséparable d’un grand pouvoir ,” they wrote, roughly translated as “[The people’s representatives] must consider that great responsibility follows inseparably from great power.”

Quote Investigator also unearthed enough 19th-century references to suggest that the expression was a pretty popular thing to include in any musings on power. In 1817, for example, British parliamentarian (and future prime minister) William Lamb deployed it during a debate in which he “[reminded] the conductors of the press of their duty to apply to themselves a maxim which they never neglected to urge on the consideration of government—‘that the possession of great power necessarily implies great responsibility.’” He was warning journalists not to let their own “interests” and “passions” get in the way of their service to “justice” and “truth.”

Lamb wasn’t the only future prime minister to utter the phrase on the floor of the House of Commons. In 1906, during a debate about how to handle systemic racial injustice in South Africa (and Great Britain’s colonies at large), Winston Churchill used it to express his opinion that their duty to intervene was “directly proportionate” to their power in a given territory. “Where there is great power there is great responsibility, where there is less power there is less responsibility, and where there is no power there can, I think, be no responsibility,” he said .

Both Presidents Roosevelt invoked the adage, too— Theodore in a 1908 letter and Franklin in a 1945 undelivered radio address .

“I believe in a strong executive; I believe in power; but I believe that responsibility should go with power, and that it is not well that the strong executive should be a perpetual one,” TR wrote while explaining why he wouldn’t run for office a third time. (He actually did end up running again in 1912, but that fact doesn’t necessarily contradict what he said about power’s relationship to responsibility: He ran out of a sense of duty to steer the country back toward progressivism.)

For FDR, the responsibility in question had to do with using power to bring about peace: “Today we have learned in the agony of war that great power involves great responsibility. … We seek peace—enduring peace. More than an end to war, we want an end to the beginnings of all wars—yes, an end to this brutal, inhuman, and thoroughly impractical method of settling the differences between governments.”

He passed away before he could give the speech, but it was widely printed in newspapers days after his death. Just three years later, with great power comes great responsibility surfaced yet again—this time in reference to literal superpowers.

At the end of the first episode of Columbia Pictures’ 15-part film serial Superman , Jonathan Kent has a pivotal heart-to-heart with his adopted son, Clark.

“You’re different from other people,” he says. “Your unique abilities make you a kind of ‘super-man.’ Because of these great powers—your speed and strength, your X-ray vision and super-sensitive hearing—you have a great responsibility.”

That responsibility, Jonathan explains, is not only to “use them always in the interest of truth, tolerance, and justice,” but also to “go where they can be best put to use.” It’s not exactly a gentle nudge to get his son to fly the coop—he literally tells him “you must leave this farm.” So Clark heads to Metropolis (though only after Mr. and Mrs. Kent have died), and the rest is, if not history, at least common knowledge.

But one fleeting reference in a 1940s film serial is hardly enough to glue with power comes great responsibility to Superman, especially not when it’s competing against decades’ worth of mentions in Spider-Man stories.

The expression first appeared in the first-ever Spider-Man comic, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and published in 1962’s Amazing Fantasy #15 . Peter Parker uses his newfound abilities to turn Spider-Man into a TV sensation, and the fame makes him so self-involved that he won’t even stop a thief who runs right by him. When that same thief murders Uncle Ben mere days later, Peter is forced to reckon with who he has become.

“And a lean, silent figure slowly fades into the gathering darkness, aware at last that in this world, with great power there must also come—great responsibility!” reads the closing panel .

So while Uncle Ben did inspire the phrasing, he didn’t originally say it himself. He would later, though—first, per GoCollect’s Luke Smith , in a 1972 music-comic fusion album called The Amazing Spider-Man: A Rockomic! . 

“What was it Uncle Ben used to tell me?” Peter says . “I remember, he used to say, ‘Petey, never forget—the stronger the man, the heavier the load. With great power comes great responsibility.’”

It came up a couple times in the 1980s, too: once when Peter hallucinates Uncle Ben during a battle in 1986’s The Amazing Spider-Man #274 ; and again when Peter recalls Uncle Ben’s words in 1987’s Spider-Man vs. Wolverine #1 .

Sam Raimi’s 2002 film Spider-Man reinforced Uncle Ben’s association with the phrase: He says it to Peter by way of explaining why it’s not always good to beat someone up just because you can.

In short, with great power comes great responsibility is a key element of Spider-Man’s character development and it has been since the very beginning. The phrase is so closely tied to Uncle Ben at this point that it’s even become a bit of a cliché, and creators of late have looked for new ways to retain the message without having him say it word for word (or at all). In 2021’s Tom Holland–starring Spider-Man: No Way Home , for example, it’s Aunt May who says it, and she uses the formulation from Amazing Fantasy #15 . In 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse , Miles Morales’s dad tells him that “with great ability comes great accountability.”

“That’s not even how the saying goes, Dad,” Miles says. France’s National Convention would agree.

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What Does 'With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility' Mean for Christians?

• Clarence L. Haynes Jr. Contributing Writer
• Updated Sep 28, 2020

And those who have been entrusted with great responsibility will be held more responsible to their master. – Luke 12:48 (TPT) 

Power is very interesting. If used properly it can have wonderful results for those who have it and those for whom it is exercised. However, placed in the wrong hands, power can be disastrous for the one who has it—and everyone around them.

Luke 12:48 highlights this relationship and brings to the forefront this question:

What does “with great power comes great responsibility” mean for Christians?

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/alphaspirit

Are These Words from a Superhero Story or Our Savior?

This quote is often attributed to Uncle Ben from Spider-Man however the origins of this go back much further. A version of this quote can be traced back to 1793 appearing in a volume issued by the French National Convention . Here is what it said:

They must consider that great responsibility follows inseparably from great power.

Regardless of the exact origin of this quote, we see that Jesus is making a comparison between what you have been given and your attitude towards it. Power along with anything else such as time, talents, treasure, opportunities—and everything God has given you—comes with a responsibility to take care of it.

In other words, this verse is a verse of stewardship. 

If you are not familiar with stewardship it simply means taking care of, utilizing, and maximizing what God has given you for his glory and for the advancement of his kingdom. A steward is not an owner; a steward is a manager.

As the owner, you can do whatever you want with what is declared yours. As a steward, you are responsible to someone else, because what you have actually belongs to them. It's the difference between owning or renting a home. As the owner you can make changes, upgrades...and most of the time do whatever you want to the house. As a renter, you must get approval before you make changes. And when you move out, you are expected to leave the property in a condition similar to when you moved in.

This is at the heart of what Jesus was talking about in Luke 12:48 . However, this requires us to take it a step further to understand what "great power comes great responsibility" means for Christians like you and me today.

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/kevron2001

What Great Power and Responsibility Have You Been Given?

Since we are marrying power and responsibility together at the altar of stewardship it makes sense to understand what power and responsibility you have as Christians. What has God equipped you with that you are now responsible for? Here are three to consider:

1. Power to Witness

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. – Acts 1:8

Every Christian (yes, that means you) is empowered with the responsibility of sharing the gospel and being a witness for Jesus. The reason you're able to do this is because God has given you the Holy Spirit...so you can do this effectively. Does this mean you're going to stand before thousands like Peter did on the day of Pentecost and preach the gospel? Maybe, but most likely that's not the case.

However, you do live in a community, have a job, and have friends or family members who don’t know Jesus. These are all places you can be a witness. God has given you the power—now it is your responsibility to do what he requires.

2. Power to Live Holy

But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” – 1 Peter 1:15-16

For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. – Romans 8:13

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. – Galatians 5:16

Back in the old days when I was growing up (for those younger than me, I'm talking about the 1980s) holiness was still important in the church. I'm not sure how often this gets talked about anymore. Can you remember the last time your pastor preached about holiness? Do let me know, because I'm curious to find out. God has given us the responsibility to live holy. The word simply means to be set apart for God’s specific use.

For God to use you, there needs to be a separation from intentionally living a sinful lifestyle.

The good news, again (and I hope you see the trend here) is that God doesn’t just say live holy, he empowers you to do it by the Holy Spirit.

As Christians, great power and responsibility come with the Holy Spirit's ability to carry out what God expects through you. This is why there is no excuse. How amazing God is that he doesn’t just ask or tell you to do something—he makes sure you have everything you need to do what he asks. He makes sure you have the power to carry out the responsibility.

3. Power to Pray

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. – Romans 8:26

One of the most fundamental disciplines we have is prayer . Prayer is when we give God access to interrupt and intervene in our earthly situations. Prayer by itself comes with great power and great responsibility.

For Christians, this is the greatest weapon you have. Yet prayer is not just a weapon, prayer is also the place of surrender. And, of greatest importance, it is the place of communion. Prayer is the place you can sit at the feet of Jesus. Where you can enjoy his presence and where you can commune with your Heavenly Father. It is a place of great power but also a place of great responsibility.

Prayer is the place that allows you to impact things in the heavens through spiritual warfare and things on the earth by seeking Godly intervention. Once again God gives you his Spirit to help you even in prayer. If you sum it up, great power does come with great responsibility. But for Christians (that’s you and me) it also comes with the power to carry out the responsibility.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/McIninch

2 Things This Command Does Not Mean

1. Your Power Doesn't Make You Greater Than Another  

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable. – 1 Corinthians 12:21-22

The interesting thing about the body of Christ is that every part matters. The parts that have more power are more visible, but notice the parts that are weaker are indispensable. That means the body cannot function without them.

If God has given you more power it is not meant to lord it over anyone. It should be humbling; because it simply means you have more to answer for.

2. Your Power Doesn't Make You Independent

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. – John 15:5

As much as God gives power, you must remember the source and the purpose. God’s desire is to help you bear much fruit. However, you cannot bear fruit unless you remain connected to the vine.

Therefore, as powerful as a person may think they are...in reality, their power only works as long as they stay connected to Jesus . What I mean is: you cannot accomplish things for the kingdom of God apart from the power of God.

Even though God gives you the power and the responsibility, it was never designed to be used apart from him.

Photo Credit: ©Pexels/Rawpixel

Tying These Power and Responsibility Concepts Together

I think we have been building a case regarding the relationship between power and responsibility. Indeed, it is true that with great power comes great responsibility. For Christians is there a way to tie this all together? I believe there is. The tie between power and responsibility is grace.

Grace is God giving to us what we don’t deserve . As this applies to power, God entrusts you to partner with him. He gives you the right and the responsibility to do his will in the earth. On the other side, grace doesn’t just entrust, grace empowers. God gives you the responsibility by grace and then he gives you the power to carry it out all by his grace.

Paul marries these two beautifully in 1 Corinthians:

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. – 1 Corinthians 15:10

Paul worked hard, which was his responsibility. But he did it by the power that comes from God’s grace.

Where does that leave you and me? I think we can see...it leaves us with a great responsibility but (thankfully) also great power to carry it out. It’s almost like the chicken and the egg. The power requires great responsibility, and handling the responsibility usually leads to more power.

As you go forward, you can trust that as God entrusts you with more, he will also empower you...so you can handle what he has entrusted you with, in the proper fashion. Because after all...with great power comes great responsibility.

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/winyuu

This article is part of our larger resource library of popular Bible verse phrases and quotes. We want to provide easy to read articles that answer your questions about the meaning, origin, and history of specific verses within Scripture's context. It is our hope that these will help you better understand the meaning and purpose of God's Word in relation to your life today.

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Home — Essay Samples — Entertainment — Spiderman — With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

• Categories: Spiderman

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Published: Sep 16, 2023

Words: 983 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

Table of contents

The origins of the phrase, political leadership and responsibility, corporate responsibility and ethics, media and information dissemination, individual responsibility and everyday choices.

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Luke 12:48 Meaning of With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

Luke 12:48 “But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

Explanation and Commentary on Luke 12:48

The principle of stewardship is a common theme in Scripture, whether it is concerning financial stewardship, or, as in this case, stewardship of knowledge and understanding.

This passage comes in a section on watchfulness and seems to be directed specifically to those whom Jesus has entrusted the carrying on of his work of feeding his sheep.  The more they understand and the more authority they have been given, the more they will be expected to do God’s will on behalf of his Church.

Jesus has been emphasizing that he could return any moment, and he expects to find his people living according to the principles of his Kingdom.  Any earthly goods they could trade for security in the Kingdom of God will produce eternal returns.

Breaking Down the Key Parts of Luke 12:48

#1 “But the one who does not know and does the things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows.” It seems from this passage and others like it that just as there will be varying degrees of reward at the Judgement for the fruit borne by believers, there will be varying degrees of punishment for those who have heard the truth but reject it.  The more truth they have been exposed to, the more responsible they will be held for rejecting it.  

#2 “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded;” Like the message of the Parable of the Talents (Mt 25:14-30), this teaching of Jesus highlights the principle that men and women are designed by God to bear his image and be managers of the resources, abilities, and the measure of truth that they have been given.  Everything we have is from God.  He will expect us to make the most of what we have been given for his purposes and for his glory.

#3 “and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” This seems a restatement of the previous point, emphasizing that when God gives, it is to be considered a trust. He who is given a trust, most prove faithful.  This is a powerful and infinite Kingdom principle that will have ramifications into the New Heavens and New Earth that will come after the Judgment.

Bible Study on Luke 12:48

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Biblical Translations of Luke 12:48

NIV “But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

NLT “But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.”

ESV “But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.”

KJV “But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.”

NKJV “But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.”

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With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility—A Personal Philosophy for Communicating Science in Society

E. paul zehr.

1 Rehabilitation Neuroscience Laboratory, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8P SC2, Canada

2 Human Discovery Science, International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 1M9, Canada

3 Centre for Biomedical Research, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8P 5C2, Canada

4 Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria, British Columbia V8P 5C2, Canada

5 School of Exercise Science, Physical, & Health Education, University of Victoria, British Columbia V8P 5C2, Canada

6 Zanshin Consulting Inc., Victoria, British Columbia V8P 5C2, Canada

Many think that communicating science is a necessary and rewarding activity. Yet finding compelling, relevant, and timely points of linkage between challenging scientific concepts and the experiences and interests of the general public can be difficult. Since science continues to influence more and more aspects of daily life and knowledge, there is a parallel need for communication about science in our society. Here I discuss the “ middle-ground hypothesis ” using popular culture for science communication and applying the “ FUNnel model, ” where popular culture is used as a lead - in and wrap - up when discussing science. The scientific knowledge we find in our hands does not belong to us—we just had it first. We can honor that knowledge best by sharing it as widely as possible using the most creative means at our disposal.

Significance Statement

Using popular culture in science communication can allow the sharing of knowledge to the largest audience.

“Most of the fundamental ideas of science are essentially simple, and may, as a rule, be expressed in a language comprehensible to everyone.” -Albert Einstein

“…With great power there must also come—great responsibility!” -Stan Lee

There and back again: a neuroscientist’s epiphany

Back in 2005 I began to question the broader societal impact of my work as a neuroscientist. At that time, my most heavily cited paper had ∼150 citations, and, although I realized this was a harsh interpretation, I asked myself, what if that number meant that only 150 people read my paper? Was 150 readers an acceptable impact for me in the “traditional” academic sense? My answer then and now—that same paper has over 400 citations and my body of work ∼4000 total citations—was “no.” I decided to make conversations with the general public, in addition to the community already engaged in academic literature, a stronger emphasis in my activities.

Since that time, I have been involved in many “outreach” activities focused on a general public audience—writing books, blogs, media, and talks for science promotion. I have also worked to encourage my students and colleagues to get more involved in science communication. When I compare other attempts to quantify impact in my communication activities, they contrast sharply in numbers. For example, my blog at Psychology Today magazine has over 250,000 page views.

Many think that communicating science to the public is a necessary and rewarding activity; however, finding compelling, relevant, and timely points of linkage between challenging scientific concepts and the experiences and interests of the general public can be difficult. Despite these challenges, science continues to influence more and more aspects of daily life as knowledge and communication about science continue to increase in necessity and importance in our society. In his amazing book “The Demon Haunted World—Science as a Candle in the Dark,” the late Carl Sagan wrote about the lack of understanding of science and described it as “…a prescription for disaster…sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces” ( Sagan, 1995 ).

There are many problematic consequences of a society at large that remains without scientific knowledge, has little understanding of the scientific process, or feels segregated from the concepts. For example, elected officials may not fight for and lobby for providing funding for research and may be elected on platforms based on gross inaccuracies and flawed logic. Others include the antivaccine movement, and concussion in children’s activities and their long-term impact.

This commentary is based mostly on my own experiences using icons in popular culture to serve as vehicles for communicating science. For example, I used the Walking Dead to illustrate human motor control in a zombie context ( Zehr and Norman, 2015 ), and Darth Vader to consider phantom limbs, embodiment, and neural prosthetics ( Zehr, 2015a ). The bulk of my work in this area, though, has been to use superheroes. These efforts have also led to advances in my own approach to undergraduate education. At the University of Victoria, I now teach a 100 level course “ The Science of Batman ” that is open to students from all faculties and departments with an interest in science and superheroes.

I explored themes of plasticity in biological systems in “ Becoming Batman: The Possibility of a Superhero ” ( Zehr, 2008 ), and the enhancement of biological function with technology in “ Inventing Iron Man: The Possibility of a Human Machine ” ( Zehr, 2011b ). Here, I will not talk much about the need for Science Committee—please see David Eagleman’s essay on its importance ( Eagleman, 2013 ). Instead, the focus is largely on examples of science communication using pre-existing elements in society and popular culture.

Previously, I outlined some of my early efforts ( Zehr, 2011a ) and advanced the “middle-ground hypothesis” using popular culture for science communication ( Zehr, 2014a ). Here, I extend that concept and describe some strategies that form the central core of my philosophy of science communication. To resonate with this colloquial approach, the structure of this commentary is deliberately written in a journalistic style using the first person voice.

Understanding the needs of your audience is the key to effective science communication

Science often makes audiences uncomfortable because it forces them outside their base of knowledge. So, I try to make things as pleasant—and as fun—as I can. This maximizes the likelihood of my audience engaging with the science concepts I have chosen because they want to do so. To facilitate this engagement, I use popular culture as the link between science and the general public. Taking something the audience is familiar with (e.g., superheroes) and linking it with something they are not (e.g., neuroplasticity) allows them to enter a conversation without putting up barriers.

Although there can be many other approaches, I strongly encourage using popular culture because it is, as the name says, already popular. Superhero movies and television shows continue to have extreme popularity and represent excellent opportunities for exploring scientific concepts in a middle-ground mental “landscape” that is comfortable and familiar.

Communications guru Marshall Mcluhan said that “the medium is the message” ( McLuhan, 1964 ) to highlight the importance of both knowledge and the manner in which it is presented. We must combine the medium and our message to truly communicate with our audiences. I strongly urge the use of ready-made vehicles, such as popular culture icons, because they represent the most seamless access to the interests of the general public. For me, superheroes are perfect for this since they afford well known examples of exploring the truth and fiction of science that underlie their fictional powers.

In the approach I favor, the medium becomes the middle ground for the message. Popular culture as both medium and content becomes the connecting point between the science and the audience. This middle-ground hypothesis is shown in Figure 1 and is meant to apply widely to communication among all groups and ages. This illustration shows how a common middle ground can facilitate the movement of ideas. Around the folks shown talking together are science concepts that I have addressed in my books and blogs using superhero popular culture icons.

Communicating science using popular culture as the “middle ground.” This basic illustration shows the idea of a conversation between scientists and the general public. Information is exchanged using the bridging afforded by popular culture icons in the “middle ground.” The words and phrases found around the figures represent science concepts used in this way in the books “Becoming Batman,” “Inventing Iron Man,” and “Project Superhero.” In the process of writing these books and selecting concepts for discussion, I consulted “Neuroscience Core Concepts: The Essential Principles of Neuroscience” ( Society for Neuroscience, 2016 ) and core principles in physiology ( Michael et al., 2009 ).

Some examples of using popular culture as the middle ground

 In “Becoming Batman,” I used the well known superhero Batman to represent the ultimate human produced by physical and mental training ( Zehr, 2008 ). The key point was for readers to better understand their own bodily function while thinking about that of Bruce Wayne. To evaluate what parts of Batman’s mythology might or might not be grounded in science, I surveyed neuroscience, genetics, biomechanics, psychology, physiology, and pathological outcomes. This involved comparing the representation of Batman’s skills and abilities shown in comics, graphic novels, TV, and movies to what might be found in real occupations that contain those same elements.

The result suggests that DC Comics’ Dark Knight is a mix of a NASCAR driver, NFL running back, mixed martial artist, Parkour expert, and Cirque du Soleil gymnastic acrobat. Importantly, acquiring the skills and abilities necessary for all these activities means Batman is also subjected to all the associated physical stresses and strains that produce negative outcomes in the form of injury and illness.

Using this popular culture middle ground scaffolding I addressed the many scientific components and concepts underlying the adaptations that would be needed to actually produce the Caped Crusader. The overarching concept was to view all of Batman’s training and actions as challenges to homeostasis and balance in his body.

The key culmination of this analysis was that with the necessary genomic attributes, mentors, teachers, training opportunities, time to commit, the psychological commitment and drive, and money to afford all of this, portions of Batman’s mythology do resonate with reality.

In “Inventing Iron Man” I borrowed from Samuel Taylor Coleridge and asked readers to use a “willing sense of disbelief” and imagine that Iron Man’s exoskeletal suit of armor actually existed. Then I used the structure of the book to explore how such a suit of armor could actually work in connection with the body. The main focus is considering Iron Man as a biological control problem of human ability enhanced by technology ( Zehr, 2011b ).

Where Batman represents the ultimate in human conditioning by training, Iron Man becomes the ultimate in brain–machine interface. The suit of armor can also be considered a form of advanced “tool” for Tony Stark’s brain to use. Pathological outcomes are also raised when discussing the implications for adding another tool to the body schema. This brings out issues like phantom limbs and cortical plasticity in both beneficial and pathological outcomes, which were also explored in posts at Scientific American ( Zehr, 2012a ). Thus, much of the content in “Inventing Iron Man” centers on the engineering and neuroscience concepts contained in the rapidly expanding field of brain-machine interface.

In addition to extreme performance, superheroes can also be used as metaphors for “normal” and pathologically reduced performance. For example, in “Inventing Iron Man” I suggest that the habitual use of a real Iron Man exoskeleton would result in extensive physiological deconditioning effects and negative health implications. These examples are paralleled with real-world examples of deconditioning found after physical inactivity and long-term space flight.

The implications of concussion and mild traumatic brain injury were addressed in my first three books ( Zehr, 2008 , 2011b,2014b ) and also in blogs ( Zehr, 2012b ). I was careful to highlight the dysfunction that occurs with increased energy demand and neuronal metabolism along with decreased supply and how that gives rise to concussion symptoms. This leads to discussions about secondary impact syndrome, the importance of protecting the brain from future concussive incidents, and how such exposure may lead to increased symptoms and susceptibility with lower impacts occurring over time.

I have not only focused on Batman and Iron Man, though. Using other superheroes I have explored the genetic regulation of human muscle strength via myostatin in considering Superman ( Zehr, 2013b ), tissue repair and enhancement after orthopedic injury when considering the “healing factor” of Wolverine ( Zehr, 2013a ), and considering the creation of neurological chimeras with enhanced hippocampal processing in the form of Rocket Racoon from “Guardians of the Galaxy” ( Zehr, 2014c ).

My biggest challenge, however, was writing a book for young adults. Project Superhero distills the main themes in “Becoming Batman” and “Inventing Iron Man” but puts them in a context for young adults ( Zehr, 2014b ). My first attempt to do this was an incomplete failure. I tried to take the content from my first two books and just write it using simpler language. My agent was quick to let me know that this would not be very interesting for young readers, and that I should do a bit more reading of my own in young adult fiction and nonfiction.

The first-person diary-style narrative was (and is) hugely popular with younger readers. Examples abound, but one of the most well known is the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series by Jeff Kinney. After reflecting on the needs of this new audience I was trying to reach out to, I decided to adopt the popular diary style but also chose to combine commentary from real people in creating a hybrid fiction/nonfiction book.

Project Superhero includes many of the concepts in neuroscience, physiology, martial arts, and nutrition I wrote about in “Becoming Batman” and “Inventing Iron Man,” but which were now recast in a format that was more accessible for a younger age group. This also required me to produce a fictional story and narrative arc in the book to follow my protagonist Jessie and her friends across their eighth grade year.

While this book was my most challenging, it has also been extremely rewarding. I have received many letters and e-mails from readers, but the review I treasure most is one posted on Goodreads by teen “Daniel” ( Goodreads, 2016 ):

When I pick books up from the library, I usually sort them into three piles, based on how much I want to read them. This is one of the few books from the third (least want to read) pile that I gave 5 stars. I seriously loved this book. It is amazing, from interviews with actual heroes, to the facts it blends in, to the story that is amazing. The book is themed on superhero comics, but have not read any comics and I still grasped the story good. Jessie is a quiet introvert that loves reading superhero comics with her friends. When she starts 8th grade, she is ecstatic to hear about the Superhero Slam debate competition, but can she overcome a fear of public speaking to become her own superhero? Overall AMAZING book!

My next book, “Creating Captain America: The Possibility of Enhancing Our Evolution” will be published in 2017 ( Zehr, 2017 ). This book completes the trilogy I began with “Becoming Batman” by considering how much we can now alter our own biology using science and engineering. This book has a much larger philosophical focus, and a major theme is considering what we will accept as a society when it comes to the functional abilities of “normal” humans, a concept I have also written about in several journals ( Zehr, 2015b,c ).

Others have used James Bond to explore chronic alcoholism ( Johnson et al., 2013 ) and Star Wars (in the form of Sith Lord Darth Vader) to explore respiratory disease ( Plovsing and Berg, 2014 ; Berg and Plovsing, 2016 ). Popular culture for science communication can be found in the excellent “Physics of Superheros” and “The Amazing Story of Quantum Mechanics” by James Kakalios ( Kakalios, 2006, 2010 ), and “The Science of Superheros” by Lois Gresh and Robert Weinberg ( Gresh and Weinberg, 2003 ).

Another great example of fusing popular culture with science—physics in this case—is “The Physics of Star Trek” by Lawrence Krauss ( Krauss, 1995 ). In the foreword to “The Physics of Superheroes,” Krauss nicely captured the idea of using the popular culture middle ground with “…few things are more memorable than confronting one’s own misconceptions… if you want to reach out to understand popular misconceptions, then exploiting where we get our cultural perspectives from is a good place to start. And if that means borrowing from Superman, or Star Trek, I am all for it!”

Of course, it is not necessary that popular culture examples be drawn solely from comic books or science fiction, as in many of the above examples. Other examples might be using past or present sports figures, applying famous historical events (e.g., the moon landing or the Battle of Troy) or using current news stories (e.g., Zika virus, water treatment, and the Olympics; vaccines and vaccination). With a little thought and planning, almost anything can be used to make science fun and accessible.

Effective communication is all about accessibility and fun

 In seeing the effectiveness of others’ science communication activities and reflecting on my own experiences in this area, I came to realize that the approach I took could be conceptualized as a dual funnel—wide at both ends and narrowing in the middle. The end portions represent engaging the general public with relevant examples, and the narrow bit in the middle is where all the science content finds a home. This is shown graphically as the FUNnel model for science communication in Figure 2 .

The FUNnel model for science communication. The simple concept here is to use popular culture as the lead-in and the summary for science concepts. For example, borrowing the approach I took in “Inventing Iron Man,” at Step 1 you might begin with Iron Man as a topical example of a human being with abilities amplified by technology. Then, asking how could this work, in Step 2 begin to lead into robotics, neuroprosthetics, and the brain–machine interface. This leads to a discussion about the organization of the brain and spinal cord, and how this allows for the ability to extract information about movement and movement planning that could be used to control an advanced prosthetic in the form of Iron Man. This leads into Step 3, where you return to the Iron Man armor and briefly summarize the level of technology currently available to support (or not) the comic book icon.

Our knowledge is power that we do not own

 I think we need to really ask, how effective do we actually want to be with science communication? Do we want to go through the motions of communicating or do we want to be truly effective? I suspect most of us do want to be effective and are intrinsically motivated to be so. If that is indeed true, then making all efforts to be maximally effective should be encouraged.

We scientists really do have a powerful role to play in our society. The science superpowers we possess include discovery, creation, synthesis, and dissemination of knowledge. For the last in that list, dissemination, it is critical to appreciate that this includes conversation with society at large, not just among our academic colleagues. That is the hidden science superpower that most of us have to work to realize. Yet, it is important work.

For we scientists to be effective, it is not sufficient to simply translate what we want to communicate into simpler words and concepts for nonspecialists. Instead, we need to put our concepts into the context the target audience is ready to receive. To be effective, this means going outside our comfort zones to more effectively enter the comfort zones of our audiences.

We need to go beyond simply asking what we think our audiences should need or ought to know. Instead, the real questions are how will they know it, what is the medium through which they are ready to know it, and how do I translate the scientific messages into a comfortable message for them?

There is a famous phrase from a very famous comic book written by Stan Lee and drawn by Steve Ditko. That comic book gave us the debut of a certain “Spider-Man” ( Amazing Fantasy #15, published August 10, 1964), and in it Peter Parker learns an important lesson about responsibility. After failing to act to subdue a criminal, that criminal goes on to kill Parker’s Uncle Ben. Peter reflects that “…all my fault! If only I had stopped him when I could have! But I didn’t!” Stan Lee’s last words in the final panel of the comic states that “with great power there must also come—great responsibility!”

I propose that we all have our own superpowers of communication that we can use to stop misinformation and poorly conceived ideas that many may have about science because they are not engaging in our “traditional” outreach activities. We use our “powers” by stepping up and communicating with the other members of our communities and our society who are not scientists. Of course, to make increased advocacy activities sustainable in science, academic institutions and funding agencies must also demonstrate the value of these activities by tangible action.

To paraphrase Sir Frances Bacon, “knowledge is power.” It is time to accept that our efforts to create and generate scientific knowledge put great power into our hands. This also obliges us to exercise great responsibility. For that knowledge to have any value, it is our responsibility to affect the largest audience by communicating as widely as we possibly can.

The scientific knowledge we discover does not belong to us—we just had it first. We can honor that knowledge best by sharing it widely using the most creative means at our disposal.

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments: I thank the Society for Neuroscience for recognizing my efforts and honoring me with the 2015 Science Educator Award. I also thank the University of Victoria, which has steadfastly supported my science communication activities over the years, and my trainees for engaging in my message and doing their own outreach activities. In addition, I thank Hilary Cullen, Steve Noble, Yao Sun, Greg Pearcey, Trevor Barss, and Lee Bauer, who provided very helpful comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript. Last, I acknowledge the influence of Stan Lee, from whom I have learned to always help others if I have the chance. Doing so expresses a superpower we all possess.

Editor’s Note: In 2003, the Society for Neuroscience initiated the Science Educator Award to recognize an outstanding neuroscientist who has made significant contributions to the education of the public. For a description of the award, see http://www.sfn.org/Awards-and-Funding/Individual-Prizes-and-Fellowships/Science-Education-and-Outreach/Science-Educator-Award . eNeuro has provided the 2015 winner, E. Paul Zehr, with an opportunity to write a feature commentary on science education.

The decision was a result of the Reviewing Editor Anna Menini and the peer reviewers coming together and discussing their recommendations until a consensus was reached. A fact-based synthesis statement explaining their decision and outlining what is needed to prepare a revision is listed below. The following reviewers agreed to reveal their identity: Stuart Firestein

Paul Zehrs's article on science communication is a delightful read that does a first rate job of justifying the importance of science communication. Too often overlooked or looked down upon by established scientists Zehr provides not only reasons why this is an important activity but shows how a smart scientist can participate with the public while giving nothing up as a scientist - indeed I think while growing as a scientist. I applaud his efforts and this very readable and meaningful piece that I hope will influence younger scientists to take an interest in making their work accessible to the public. Erwin Schrodinger said, "If at the end of the day you cannot tell anyone about what you're doing, then your doing is worthless." Zehr lives up to that challenge.

My only comment might be that figure 1 is not really very explanatory and the cartoonish quality of it takes away from the seriousness of the argument being made. The article is already lighthearted enough in the writing style.

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• Kakalios J (2006) The physics of superheroes . New York: Gotham Books. [ Google Scholar ]
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• Krauss LM (1995) The physics of Star Trek . New York: Harper-Perrennial. [ Google Scholar ]
• McLuhan M (1964) Understanding media: the extensions of man . New York: New American Library. [ Google Scholar ]
• Michael J, Modell H, McFarland J, Cliff W (2009) The “core principles” of physiology: what should students understand? Adv Physiol Educ 33 :10–16. 10.1152/advan.90139.2008 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Plovsing RR, Berg RMG (2014) Pulmonary pathophysiology in another galaxy . Anesthesiology 120 :230–232. 10.1097/ALN.0b013e31829c2dfb [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
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• Society for Neuroscience (2016) Neuroscience core concepts: the essential principles of neuroscience . Washington, DC: Society for Neuroscience; E-book available at https://thelearningbraindotorg.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/sfn-neuroscience-core-concepts-powerpoint.pdf . [ Google Scholar ]
• Zehr EP (2008) Becoming Batman: the possibility of a superhero . Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins UP. [ Google Scholar ]
• Zehr EP (2011a) From Claude Bernard to the Batcave and beyond: using Batman as a hook for physiology education . Adv Physiol Educ 35 :1–4. 10.1152/advan.00120.2010 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Zehr EP (2011b) Inventing iron man: the possibility of a human machine . Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins UP. [ Google Scholar ]
• Zehr EP (2012a) Assembling an avenger–inside the brain of Iron Man . Sci Am . Available at http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/assembling-an-avenger-inside-the-brain-of-iron-man/ . [ Google Scholar ]
• Zehr EP (2012b) Bumps and bruises from Bruce to Batman and beyond . Sci Am . Available at http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/bumps-and-bruises-from-bruce-to-batman-and-beyond/ . [ Google Scholar ]
• Zehr EP (2013a) Fighting tooth and claw with Wolverine–examining the healing power of an X-Man . Sci Am . Available at http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/fighting-tooth-and-claw-with-wolverineexamining-the-healing-power-of-an-x-man/ . [ Google Scholar ]
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With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility: Animal Farm Essay Example

“With great power comes great responsibility” (Spider-Man comic Stan Lee). In George Orwell book revolt broke out due to the hardship of Jones, the farm is taken over by its overworked, mistreated animals. With best idealism and slogans set out to show justice progress, justice and equality. The revolution was led by pigs. Napoleon got the power soon after he chased of Napoleon from the farm. While some blame Boxer for the downfall of the animal farm, it’s Napoleon who is responsible for the downfall of the animal farm.

Napoleon was very offensive suppressed every other animal. After taking over snowball and getting control over the farm, he started to break the commandments according to his suitability. “some animal remembered or thought they remembered that the sixth commandment decreed no animal shall kill any other animal. And thought o one cared to mention in the hearing of the pigs or the dogs, it felt that the killings which had taken place did not square with this.” (Orwell 91). There were many of the same incident that have happened all during all the time period in the book. He changes all the commandments. 

Another way by which napoleon is responsible for the downfall of the animal farm is that he had his owns private army of dogs, the army of dogs was used to suppressed other animals. Dogs were the most loyal animals to Napoleon. “the four young pigs who had protested when Napoleon abolished the meetings raised there voices timidly, but they were promptly silenced by a tremendous growling from the dogs.” (Orwell, 63). Just like this there was no one dared to speak anything against Napoleon because they knew if they speak something they will die. “they had come to a time when no one dared speak his mind, when fierce, growling dogs roamed everywhere, and when you have to watch your comrades torn to pieces after confessing to shocking crimes.” (Orwell 87). After some time, the freedom to do anything was also taken away from them, the dogs use to march, executions use to happen just for some of the normal and small crimes. “Napoleon acted swiftly and ruthlessly. He ordered the hens ration to be stopped and decreased that any animal giving so much as a grain of corn to be stopped and decreased that animal giving so much as a grain of corn to a hen should be punished by death”. This shows how much cruel he was towards other animals. 

These all statement clearly states that Napoleon was the one who was responsible for the downfall of the animal farm. He suppressed every other animal, misused his power, he killed so many animals broke all the rules. At the beginning of the book all animals were focused in animal farm to build equality and rules and regulation, but the greed and power attracted Napoleon. Making his own army of 9 dogs and attacking snowball and taking over the animal farm. Napoleon got the other ways to remain in the power by killing. The life could have been different if Napoleon would not have been difficult to imagine animal farm, all animals would have been equal, the condition could have been much more better than that they have now.

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Culture doesn't fit in a box. Neither do we.

Great Power Verbs Great Responsibility

It is common knowledge that Spider-Man’s heroism is driven by the realization that “with great power comes great responsibility,” but that tagline hasn’t always existed in that form. In the first appearance of Spider-Man in 1962’s Amazing Fantasy #15, the final panel of the story introducing the new superhero is overrun with words. It says, “a lean, silent figure slowly fades into the gathering darkness, aware at last that in this world, with great power there must also come – – great responsibility!” [punctuation as it appears in the original].

That phrasing is a little different from the more streamlined version we are used to today, and frankly, I think that phrasing difference matters, and says something about how Spider-Man has evolved in our cultural consciousness and our expectations about the intersections between power and responsibility.

Even before Stan Lee and Steve Ditko collaborated on Amazing Fantasy , some version of a statement about the connection between great power and great responsibility had circulated for decades previously. Lee was probably familiar with the version Franklin Delano Roosevelt drafted before his death , which asserts “great power involves great responsibility.”

If a student of mine used that verb “involves,” I would circle it and ask just how the two are involved. That statement is modified in Lee’s version, which instead exhorts that responsibility “must also come” with power. Lee’s version is an entreaty rather than a simple statement, while FDR’s statement connects and correlates the two ideas without suggesting what relationship they have to each other.

Lee and Ditko’s version in the context of Peter’s realization about how he should use his great power, and what it will mean to him, becomes a statement about what Peter has been wrong about, and a need to step up to the proverbial plate. The inclusion of the word “must” makes the final, extremely wordy panel of the story seem urgent. Peter needs to take the responsibility he had been shirking.

Interestingly, as Spider-Man’s line gets simplified to “with great power comes great responsibility” in later versions of Spider-Man’s origin story, the statement returns from the exhortation using the word “must,” to an assertion of fact. As in Roosevelt’s statement, this later and more famous incarnation of Spider-Man’s tagline seems a simple observation of fact that these two things go together.

I see this as an evolution of what the word “responsibility” means in this context. The urgent need is no longer there, because the responsibility arrives automatically. It comes with the power like a free lipstick with purchase. The ability to take that responsibility is no longer in Peter’s control. Instead, whether or not he will take it seriously is the question.

The tagline also develops to be attributed to Peter’s Uncle Ben. In 1962, it is a caption in Stan Lee’s heavy-handed narrator voice that tells readers in the final panel of the comic that Peter became “aware at last” that great responsibility “must come” with his new great power. In Bendis’s 2000’s Ultimate Spider-Man , in contrast, after Peter defeats his Uncle Ben’s murderer and recognizes him for a crook he failed to stop earlier in the story, he remembers his Uncle Ben telling him, “Great things are going to happen to you in your life, Peter. Great things. And with that will come great responsibility.” Uncle Ben isn’t the kind of guy to melodramatically talk about power, but he is certainly someone who wants Peter to understand responsibility. It makes sense that he would see the two going hand in hand, feeling only the need to point it out to Peter rather than exhorting him to recognize his responsibility as a thing he must acknowledge.

This shift in the framing for Peter’s realization, that will drive the character to super heroism ever after, is telling. The realization that in Lee and Ditko’s original conception was something Peter realized alone, is instead placed in the mouth of a beloved paternal figure, one whom Peter has just lost and feels guilty about. That has the potential to change the role of the realization and thus the resolve to become a hero.

If he is remembering it as something Uncle Ben has told him, is it, in fact, something of which he is “aware at last?” or rather something that he knew all along and decides to live up to after all? Or something he might not even agree with, but will honor in Ben’s memory? In any event, Peter’s motivation for becoming a superhero becomes something that Ben once told him, rather than something he realizes for himself.

If I was only a very slightly different person, I’d be taking this paragraph to talk about the super-ego and possibly also parenting, and how a general sense of responsibility toward society is replaced by the idea that Peter should specifically live up to a paternal figure’s ideal.

In the 2002 movie Spider-Man , the aphorism gets even more explicitly linked to Uncle Ben and his memory as it is repeated over and again during the movie. In Raimi’s film, the important line “with great power comes great responsibility,” honed to clarity, is heard three times. First, Uncle Ben says it aloud to Peter during an argument. Later, Peter remembers that scene in a flashback and the audience hears the line in Uncle Ben’s voice again. Then, ultimately, Peter thinks it himself in a voiceover monologue at the end of the movie, having internalized the message from his paternal figure.

Overall, I think in each of these versions, in a variety of comics retellings and animated TV shows, and in the other Spider-Man film series that followed Raimi’s, the phrasing of the relationship between power and responsibility is telling, because it conveys how Peter Parker thinks of responsibility and what we are to expect of his relationship to his own power.

Emily Lauer

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Essays On Leadership: Great Responsibility Needs Great Power

Essays on Leadership: Great Responsibility needs Great Power talks about the need to empower your team with the necessary tools and resources in order for them to complete their tasks effectively.

You might have heard of the famous Spiderman quote: “ With great power comes great responsibility. ”

No doubt, if you have been given authority and decision making power, you must realize the lives and livelihoods that can be impacted by your decisions.

You therefore hold a great responsibility not just to yourself, but to others as well. But is the converse true?

If with great power comes great responsibility, does it mean that to have great responsibility requires power as well?

Yes, I would argue.

If you would delegate responsibility to someone, you need to equip that person with the power as well.

Managers and leaders often commit the mistake of giving people responsibility and not giving them the corresponding power to execute their responsibilities well.

How many people have you met that were frustrated with their jobs simply because they had job responsibilities that they did not have power to fulfill?

They try their very best, but they become resigned or frustrated because they realize they simply do not have the resources; decision making power; time to fulfill it.

In other words, they were given a task, but they were not given the resources to complete that task. “Conquer that land and rule over it! Here, you shall have a measly soldier for your mission.”

Is it any surprise that the mission will not be completed?

But sadly, that’s how managers often treat their staff.

Most people are capable of good judgement and can fulfil tasks with relative competency.

That is, if you give them sufficient resources, they will be able to achieve what is asked of them. More often than not, it is leaders that underestimate the resources required of the task, and as a result, under-equip their team.

Resources can come in the form of manpower, time, finances, and whatever is required to fulfil the task at hand.

Besides the lack of resources, another mistake that managers and leaders make is to not give their team the full decision making power over their resources.

Maybe the resources have been given, but yet, maybe out of insecurity or the need for control, power has not been delegated to the team member or staff to execute the task.

So every time a team member wants to make a decision, they have to go back to the manager and consult if the decision is okay with him. In essence, the decision maker becomes the manager again.

That is simply not good leadership. That is soul-killing micromanagement.

As a leader,  you want bring out the potential of every person by giving him the resources necessary for the task and then trusting him to complete the job!

Imagine this, a king sends a general to a faraway land to invade and conquer. He gives the general sufficient resources, soldiers, supplies, horses and weapons to last the expected period of the war.

But he tells the general that every move the general makes must be checked through with the king first. If he wants to pitch camp, he must check with the king; if he wants to adopt a flanking strategy, he must too, check with the king.

Can you imagine how FRUSTRATING that will be for the general?

The army would be so ineffective that nothing will probably be done. And it’s going to be the general’s fault.

You see how incredulous that is? But yet, that’s what most managers do. They send their team on a mission , but they do not trust them enough to make the right choices, so they micromanage.

In the end, the manager gets dismal results because of it. Whose fault is it really?

If you’re a leader, remember to trust your team!

Give them the resources that they need, and give them power to execute the task or the mission.

If you’re going to give them the responsibility, give them the power as well.

You will find that you actually have a team of truly capable generals that can execute and perform when they are truly given these.

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With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

From the book critical essays on "causation and responsibility".

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• With greater power comes greater responsibility

Power something which we all have dreamt of. It is something that lures us. But in our quest to gain power we all tend to overlook the responsibilities accompanied with the power, in fact they hardly comes to our mind when we think of power. There is no fixed definition for power it has different meaning for different individuals but the fact remains they wield influence over people by virtue of power, and hence the reason it lures us.

As all of us know the principle of proportionality, and we must know that power howsoever small or big comes with proportional responsibility as these two are complimentary to each other. History is full of facts to show us the disastrous effect of violation of this principle of proportionality be ancient history or modern times, every part of history teaches us to respect the principle of proportionality otherwise one has to face great repercussion.

This holds good in contemporary scenario. Sovereign state is all powerful and the welfare state like us is powerful not as privileged but because of the responsibilities vested. Because of our colonial past, impoverished state of our economy, leader of nation chose India to make a welfare state so that it could take care of its people and empower them so that they could develop their potential.

Necessity of power could be realised by the fact that the responsibility of security of nation is vested in government and hence there must be accompanied power so that state could take decision to do the same. On the flip side we also see that whereas power is vested is settled fact but when something goes wrong the power wielder does not recognise his responsibility. State needs to provide food, shelter, livelihood a peaceful environment maintained by law and order. The whole bunch of responsibility is cause of discretion to people who carry out this responsibility. Discretion, in fact, is source of power.

Things are good when everything is proportion but sadly as widely perceived phenomena especially in political area, we see the opposite.

In order to gain power some position does not hesitate to compromise public welfare and trust, maintenance of which is their responsibility. As a result criminalisation of politics and politicisation of criminals, nexus of corruption, crony capitalism are daily phenomena. Newspapers are full of descriptions of these acts. In endeavour to gain power political parties do not hesitate from spreading communal harted and let go the responsibility of maintaining law and order situation.

These are the most visible and criticised examples of not being able to value the principle of proportionality, there are many more examples to add, on each and every sphere be business, sports or entertainment industry. We have many examples of influential people getting clean chits, even after wrong doing, by virtue of power.

Where we see many examples of excessive power and low responsibility, we also have example of handicap and helplessness created by excessive responsibility and low power. The most evident example in almost every urban area is working of municipalities, where they are laden with so many responsibilities but there is not adequate power vested in them to have necessary funds and maintain its functionaries. The same is true in rural area where panchayat is handicapped by paucity of funds and functionaries and hence unable to fulfil its responsibilities.

We have several mechanisms in place to put the things in order as separation of power as envisaged in constitution checks the power vested in an institution and restrain it from exercising power arbitrarily, hence maintaining balance between power and responsibility. Likewise we have Lobbying Bodies, Public Pressure, Media, NGOs etc. to maintain the delicate balance.

As going by the saying "with great power comes great responsibility" we must prepare ourselves for the responsibilities that would fall upon us in our quest to gain power. We see that both ways the disturbance of balance is not good but situation of more power and less responsibility is more pronounced. So we must move toward a culture where we are taught to take on the responsibilities and executing them successfully.

-Sumita Sharma

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