>Part of the last 2000 years has been the attempt to development systems of government which inherently reduce the importance of this question. For example, by

>Part of the last 2000 years has been the attempt to development systems of government which inherently reduce the importance of this question. For example, by enforcing churn on "custodes", by creating a culture in which radical transparency is the norm, by encouraging highly participatory democracy. Majority of the last two thousand years in Western Europe was inept Roman dictatorship followed by Germanic warlords duking it out. More like the last 500 years, no? Saying 2000 years lends an air of credibility that shouldn't be there, though you may just be going for word play in response to the grandparent