I ran across this today, randomly, searching for something else. I like it. It resonates with me, given the state of not just America but also all of western civilization.
Why Franklin, Washington and Lincoln considered American democracy an ‘experiment’
Specifically, I found this telling:
Their work, the founders believed, was also an experiment because, as everyone who had read their Aristotle and Cicero and studied ancient history knew, republics – in which political power rests with the people and their representatives – and democracies were historically rare and acutely susceptible to subversion. That subversion came both from within – from decadence, the sapping of public virtue and demagoguery – as well as from monarchies and other enemies abroad.
I would say that both decadence and a lack of public virtue plague us in these modern times. It isn’t clear to me whether we’ll shake free of that or if the corruption and rot will overtake us.
There are plenty who would cheer if it overtook us.
But in their arrogance and greed, I wonder if they understand just how much they wouldn’t like what comes after this experiment?