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Great empires die from the inside. That's what happened to the Mughal Empire, the Roman Empire, and countless other seemingly untouchable empires of the past.

by m52go 13y ago

Great empires die from the inside. That's what happened to the Mughal Empire, the Roman Empire, and countless other seemingly untouchable empires of the past. No amount of firepower, surveillance, or money can save a people from the irrational motivators of power, paranoia, and greed of those who rule. Sorry, but as much as I want to fight this crap, history and statistics dictate it's a losing battle.

dllthomas 13y ago
Statistics doesn't say much of anything, based on the information you've given. You're looking at the odds it was X that destroyed the empire, given that the empire was destroyed. We want the odds the empire will survive a given event like X.
- m52go 13y ago
  I'm saying when X occurs, the empire tends to be destroyed. That's different.
  - dllthomas 13y ago
    That's what you're saying, but you've got a selection bias.
PavlovsCat 13y ago
The Roman Empire collapsed because it became too big, right? Well, "The Global Village" may be kind of a buzz word, but it has a grain of truth to it. Earth may very well shrink enough shrink to fit into a single fist. So personally, I'm thinking heat death of the universe as the last line of defense ^^ I still would find it sad if human civilization could not find a moment to live in truth and peace, even if just because it would be nice, and because anything else is doomed to "shrieking nothingness" and ever worsening delusion anyway. I think I "fight this crap" just to be less of a part of it. Even if I can't stop it, I am still responsible for myself. I'd rather struggle and then rest easy than the other way around, I'd rather be exhausted than have regrets. Also, who knows. If history teaches us anything it's that no day was ever exactly like the one before. Universal peace as a result of cumulative effort through centuries past might come into existence quickly - not unlike a crystal that suddenly forms in a solution which has been slowly prepared. --- Nikola Tesla Yes, the same could be said about total tyranny, and "a boot trampling on a human face, forever". But still, never say never? Just consider how people in power tend to scramble, how much effort is spent on distracting or deceiving the population. The emperors are naked and on very thin ice... and they know it.

by m52go 13y ago

dllthomas 13y ago

Statistics doesn't say much of anything, based on the information you've given. You're looking at the odds it was X that destroyed the empire, given that the empire was destroyed. We want the odds the empire will survive a given event like X.

m52go 13y ago
I'm saying when X occurs, the empire tends to be destroyed. That's different.
- dllthomas 13y ago
  That's what you're saying, but you've got a selection bias.

PavlovsCat 13y ago

The Roman Empire collapsed because it became too big, right? Well, "The Global Village" may be kind of a buzz word, but it has a grain of truth to it. Earth may very well shrink enough shrink to fit into a single fist. So personally, I'm thinking heat death of the universe as the last line of defense ^^ I still would find it sad if human civilization could not find a moment to live in truth and peace, even if just because it would be nice, and because anything else is doomed to "shrieking nothingness" and ever worsening delusion anyway. I think I "fight this crap" just to be less of a part of it. Even if I can't stop it, I am still responsible for myself. I'd rather struggle and then rest easy than the other way around, I'd rather be exhausted than have regrets. Also, who knows. If history teaches us anything it's that no day was ever exactly like the one before. Universal peace as a result of cumulative effort through centuries past might come into existence quickly - not unlike a crystal that suddenly forms in a solution which has been slowly prepared. --- Nikola Tesla Yes, the same could be said about total tyranny, and "a boot trampling on a human face, forever". But still, never say never? Just consider how people in power tend to scramble, how much effort is spent on distracting or deceiving the population. The emperors are naked and on very thin ice... and they know it.