Encyclopedia of Opinion
Question
Who is the most powerful person of all time?
Position6 of 6
The American citizen is the most powerful person of all time
Argument

The American Public is the ultimate kingmaker

The American public fills the most powerful job on earth.

The argument

The President of the United States governs the world’s largest economy with the world’s largest and most advanced military. Therefore, at any time in the last century, the President of the United States must be considered the most powerful person on earth. The American president is beholden to those that put him in office; the American voter. Therefore, the American electorate becomes the most powerful kingmaker on earth and by proxy, the most powerful political force in history.

Context

The President of the United States was in any given year of the last century, the most powerful person on earth.

Premises

[P1]The US President governs the world's largest economy and commands its largest, most advanced military, making the President the most powerful person on earth over the last century. [P2] The President is beholden to the voters who put him in office. [P3] As the force that chooses the most powerful person on earth, the American electorate is the ultimate kingmaker. [C] Therefore, the American citizen is the most powerful person of all time.

Counter-arguments

The American public are not a single person and are therefore disqualified from the debate. Also, the American public is easily influenced by powerful individuals and groups. They are influenced by media, which is influenced by corporations and media moguls. They are also influenced by social media, making those that control social media networks far more powerful than individual voters.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P2] The American public is influenced by social media and traditional media. Therefore, the heads of these organisations hold the most power. [Rejecting P3] The American people are not a single person and are therefore disqualified from the debate.

Framing

Political power is distributed by the electorate. Therefore, the electorate is the ultimate source of political power. As the largest economy with the most advanced military, the US is the most powerful political force on earth, and by proxy, the US electorate hold the most power on earth.