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So, when we are talking about who is the most powerful, it is important first to consider what exactly we mean by "power".
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Yes! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] That's exactly one of the reasons I started this thread. To get a bead on what power is.
In that quote I posted, I thought a fairly good definition was given.
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Using this sort of definition of power (vast knowledge, strong will, great skill, mastery over mind and matter, ability in battle)
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That pretty much sums up my opinion on what power is.
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Gandalf's power lies not only in his "wizard" abilities (lightning bolts, incendiary fir cones and the like), but also in his wisdom, his judgement and his strength of mind
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As stated in the thread opening post, I think wisdom and judgement are seperate from power. I think of power as more of raw potential, or sheer domination of things (such as mind, body, information, and substances). I believe that most things that we consider to be virtues (wisdom, kindness, goodness, and so on), the things that make a character complete, are the things that determine greatness, not power.
I see greatness as an overall definition of a character. It is all inclusive. Every single shortcoming as well as every last virtue being weighed in the definition. Greatness is the ultimate measure of a being.
However, I don't believe that power is the same thing. I pretty much agree with the definition of power previously stated in the quote from lord of dor-lomin.