> > It would give you power in a subtle way. To use it for good or evil...that would be the tricky part.
>
> To use this power at all is evil. The thoughts of another person should be absolutely that person's; to manipulate them supernaturally is the worst imaginable breach of privacy.
>
> I don't know how having that power could do anything other than corrupt you, either. If you are truly good and noble, you don't need it: others will tend to think well of you because you are good and noble. It's a lot like invisibility. You only need it if you're going to do things you shouldn't do anyway.

Stephen, I already know what you think of any of the Foundation novels after the first book, but I can't help being reminded of Asimov's take on this type of power in _Foundation_and_Empire_ and _The_Second_Foundation_. Seems to me that Asimov's take on it had some merit. The power to effect other's thoughts could be used for good or evil effect, and those who wanted to use it for good would have to be extremely cautious about how and where and why they used it. Those who used it recklessly for their own gain would sooner or later come to grief.

But what you're suggesting is that the power itself is intrinsically evil, am I right?