Democrises

Churchill said “Democracy is the worst form of government except for all those other forms.” Is he right? This episode begins with the rise of Athenian Democracy…and what became of it when demagogues started to arise. Other great philosophers, such as Plato, Kant, and Hamilton, weigh in on whether current American democracy is the best we can do. We examine the great variation in “democracies” today, from Russia to America to Venezuela, and discover that it is the details of democracy that make all the difference.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Turchin is one of the world’s foremost researchers on the question of why empires rise and fall. We featured some of his research in episode 1. He has authored 5 books and hundreds of scientific articles on the subject, including a prediction in 2010 that the United States was on a dangerous path to widespread political violence by 2020. We discuss his fascinating and important research, including the 10% of historical cases where societies recognized their danger and woke up in time, and how to do that today. He’s got some actionable solutions.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Civilizations die by suicide, not murder. That’s what almost every historian who has studied the topic has concluded. The paths of societal decline are often similar, including poor governance decisions, overpopulation, and breakdown of societal trust. Today, these factors afflict both America and the world, and we call them Democrises: Democracy, Demography, and Demoralization. This episode begins with the fall of Qing Dynasty China in the 19th century, and proceeds to examine many other civilizations that followed or are following the same path…

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Coming November 1st.... A new podcast from Rob Cohen and Goat Rodeo.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.