QAEDA-COL-004 · Foundation
Power, legitimacy, and counterpower
A sequence for examining authority claims, non-coercive forms of power, revolutionary replication, exit, and moral limits.
- 01
Authority is a claim, not a conclusion
Begin by treating authority as something to justify rather than assume.
Read step 1 → - 02
- 03
The Promethean test: distribute power or seek the throne?
Evaluate whether a challenger distributes capability or centralizes it.
Read step 3 → - 04
After the throne: the replication test
Ask whether post-victory institutions reproduce the old structure.
Read step 4 → - 05
Counterpower without a new monopoly
Use exit, interoperability, and pluralism as counterpower tests.
Read step 5 → - 06
The civilian line: ethics before allegiance
Keep civilian immunity and moral limits independent of allegiance.
Read step 6 →
Choose your own route
The path is a recommendation, not a gate.
Skip, reorder, or challenge it. QAEDA’s topic map and essay archive remain available when a curated sequence is not what you need.