‪Mohamed Kanjaa‬‏

This article explores the nature and impact of power, aiming to do so through a lexical approach to the concept and by providing an analysis of its presence in political thought, the humanities, and philosophy. It also seeks to anticipate its effects and applications in various social, educational, and political fields. The article begins by defining power in both Arabic and foreign language dictionaries, as well as in intellectual and philosophical encyclopedias. It then offers an analysis of how the concept of power has evolved throughout history and its intersections with related concepts such as authority, influence, control, and domination, as discussed in sociology, political science, and anthropology. The article concludes by shedding light on the various philosophies that have addressed power, clarifying its impacts, and demonstrating how a better understanding of these impacts can reflect a broader comprehension of power relations in society across its multiple frameworks, such as schools, media, and families.

This study explores H. L. A. Hart’s critique of the concept of sovereignty as presented in John Austin’s legal theory. Austin’s theory posits that law is a command of the sovereign, who is the person habitually obeyed by the majority of a society, and who does not habitually obey any other person. The study highlights the theoretical and legal arguments put forward to refute this thesis. First, it demonstrates Austin’s inability to address two fundamental aspects present in various legal systems: the continuity of legislative authority and the persistence of laws. Austin’s theory fails to explain the continuity of the legal system and justify how law survives after the death of the sovereign, as well as to establish the normativity of law. Second, it demonstrates the difficulty of proving the absence of legal limitations on the sovereign due to the complexities inherent in legal systems. It also emphasizes the contradiction between popular sovereignty and the foundations of Austin’s theory. These issues led Hart to reject the principle of sovereignty entirely, replacing it with his theory of primary and secondary rules.