“Does power corrupt or do the corrupt seek power?

1. Plato's Point of View, similar to the Allegory of the Cave, the people in power and have authority
are stuck and chained in a system wherein they have privileges and riches. When one of the
people in power (in this case it may be from the NGOs or LGUs) go out of their comfort zone in
order to see what is the reality in the society, he learned the truth that society is filled with
marginalized people. He, who saw the truth, told the people with authority and power what he
just saw. Those with power refused to see the truth and kept themselves locked away with their
privileges. This way, the powerful people corrupt the marginalized with the privileges that
supposedly is for everyone, as well as the right for a better life.

2. Sophist perspective, specific to Protagoras. Believed that man is the measure of all things. He is
the one who argues from both point of view. In this case using the perspective, how can one say
that those in power corrupts the poor? And how can the poor say that those in power are the
ones corrupting them? Using this perspective, man is the measure of everything. Only those
who experience either of the two holds the answer, though the real answer might not be
knowable.

3. Socratic Method, specific to reductio ad absurdum. Wherein it is said that people with power
can deprive those underneath them of privilege and right, this act is called corruption. However
how about the other people in power that also becomes deprive of privilege and right due to
the greediness corrupting the heart of their fellow person in authority and power. Is this still
corruption?

4. Methodic doubt, authority is doubted in this method. After all authority is given to a person by
another person or by groups of people. Since an individual can be easily doubted due to the ever
changing perspectives of society without a sole basis. In the case wherein the people with
authority corrupt the poor, the people with authority can easily be doubted as they are not the
only ones corrupting poor and bereave them of comfort of living. And some may doubt that
authority can corrupt people at all.

5. Reductionist, power is known as the possession of control while authority is as the power of
influence. Which means that the power of authority is when someone is in control and its
control may influence a sequence of events. Corruption is the illegal behavior especially known
amongst the powerful people. While poor may easily be defined as inferior. If by definition,
people in power and authority truly corrupt the poor. After all what makes a person poor, when
they have less than adequate materials for living a comfortable life. If the people in power use
illegal means in order to get authority or riches or whatever they wish, then they really are
corrupting the poor not only with material objects but with opportunities and sustainable life as
well.
6. Holistic, the people with authority corrupts the poor. The relationship of the variables within
the statement is evident. If a person in authority does an illegal behavior then it is already
corrupting the poor. After all there would be no illegal behavior if there was no authority,
however it does not mean that if there is no authority there won't be poor people. And if there
was corruption there won't be poor people. Each variables are important in order to give
importance to one another. The relationship between the variables are important as well in
order to give definition. There will be only be authority if there are other people and the poor,
and there will only be corruption if there is authority that affects the marginalized part of the
society. That is the essence of one another

7. Aristotle's philosophy, this gives importance to the 4 causes with accordance to what Aristotle
stated. Keeping in mind the statement "people in authority corrupts the poor" The first cause is
the material cause which is what it is made of. The statement contains the variables people in
authority, corruption, and poor. That is what the notion is made of. The second cause is the
formal cause, or how the matter is arranged. The idea of the statements is arranged as the
people in authority is at the top of the society while the poor remains at the bottom. While
corruption is what comes in between the top and bottom of the society. The third cause is the
efficient cause or where the idea came from. The notion of the statements came from the
ideology and perspectives of people. The last cause is the final cause or the purpose. The
purpose of the notion is to show people that in society, everything is connected. What those at
the top does will affect those at the bottom intentionally or unintentionally.

8. Hegelian, Hegel stated that that this does not rule out the actuality of ideas for they become
actual by being realized in external existence. In layman's term, an idea becomes actual if it is
evident in external world. The notion "those in authority corrupts the poor" may also be tackled
with Hegel's perspective. Corruption of the authorities can't be easily seen, it may be
undetectable, however there are numerous external factors that suggests there is corruption. 1.
There are marginalized. 2. Authorities continuous rise to power. and 3. There are less privilege
for the poor. With this explanation the idea of corruption amongst the authorities is true, after
all following Hegel's point of view there are numerous external factors that is evident of the idea
itself.

9. Phenomenology, which focuses on the experience itself. Since the rise of documentaries and
news, it is easy to see the outside world inside a box. In numerous documentaries they tend to
focus on the marginalized, because of this it is easy for them to say their experience. Because of
the numerous said experiences of the marginalized, using phenomenological point of view,
corruption of the authorities is evident due to numerous shared experience from the poorer
side of society.

10. Realism, which states that reality exist independent of human mind. To explain shortly using the
idea "authorities corrupt the poor", the corruption may be seen or presently affecting the poor
 because of that corruption is present and real. Nonetheless corruption is still present even if it is
only in the mind of the authorities.

11. Pragmatism, only those experienced or observed are real. With this point of view, the idea of
corruption will only be true if it is experienced or observed. Marginalized can easily be seen and
observed especially in today's situation of lockdown. Not to mention the growing selfishness of
those with privilege or in this case those with authority and power. Because of this selfishness,
the poor is corrupted of their privileges in times of disaster.

12. Existentialism, the idea of this philosophy is subjective or it depends on the individual. In
this case, the presence of corruption is subjective. It may depend on the people's point of view.
Whether the corruption affects them negatively or positively, the realness of corruption
depends on how the person thinks.