As far as I can tell, the main function of democracy is to prevent the power structure from dramatically violating the citizen’s preferences. Totalitarian rule doesn’t have that feature, creating a higher risk of it becoming an unpleasant to live in, as well as unstable.
Isn’t that, essentially, what government is?
Yup.
There’s a balance to be struck between facilitating centralized organization and decision making, which involves a top down structure, and preventing top-down coercion.
I think we’re reaching realms of political science which are outside the domain of things which I know about / have thought about enough about to speak confidently.
As far as I can tell, the main function of democracy is to prevent the power structure from dramatically violating the citizen’s preferences. Totalitarian rule doesn’t have that feature, creating a higher risk of it becoming an unpleasant to live in, as well as unstable.
Yup.
There’s a balance to be struck between facilitating centralized organization and decision making, which involves a top down structure, and preventing top-down coercion.
I think we’re reaching realms of political science which are outside the domain of things which I know about / have thought about enough about to speak confidently.
It was a nice arc from PUA techniques to viability of sociopolitical structures :-)