Comments on: Just as Cicero predicted

By: TheMaleBrain

TheMaleBrain — Sun, 13 Sep 2020 10:37:36 +0000

In reply to Kapios. More like 80% of the population (at least)

By: Kapios

Kapios — Fri, 11 Sep 2020 09:02:43 +0000

My theory is that at least 2/3 of any countries population is born to be sheep. I’m no genius, but it baffles me how hordes of people are swimming in a sea of delusions.

Probably the reason why history is repeated.

By: Didact

Didact — Fri, 11 Sep 2020 08:24:52 +0000

In reply to Bootstrapper.

Feudalism was one attempt to short-circuit this process and produced societal stability for about a thousand years.

Yes, but feudalism is based on one critical foundation, which is that wealth depends on ownership of land. The moment you take that away, through an industrialised society with an actual middle class, the entire edifice falls apart. The other major problem with feudalism is that it enforces a caste system by its very definition - which always results in stagnation until and unless subjected to severe external stresses.

By: Bootstrapper

Bootstrapper — Thu, 10 Sep 2020 23:11:44 +0000

The process you describe is called “Anacyclosis”. It was first described by the Greek pholosopher Polibus. The cycles vary, but generally last for around one human lifetime – approximately seventy years. Feudalism was one attempt to short-circuit this process and produced societal stability for about a thousand years.