Furthermore, since in all power relations an advantage once gained facilitates the gaining of additional advantages (the "accumulation of capital" is merely a specific instance of this general proposition), power inequality is bound to expand in quick progression, and the freedom of the privileged always and necessarily develops at the expense of the freedom of the op-

XREF: Echoes the Matthew effect, runaway feedback loops, and the author's 'accumulation of capital' framing — connects to winner-take-all dynamics in economics and sociology. QUESTION: How does this compounding dynamic interact with any countervailing mechanisms that prevent complete power monopolization?

Georg Simmel, The Sociology of Georg Simm…, loc. 2553