> Is there actually a benefit? Or are we just watching the slow motion collapse of another empire convinced of its own immortality?

These aren’t mutually exclusive. The world is better off for Athens and the Roman and Harrapan and Haudenosaunee republics. (Book request: history of the republic. I’ve struggled to find one.)

The CCP with internal elections was interesting and a genuine riposte to broadly-enfranchised republics. Xi as a dictator is not, not.

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BoredPositron 14 hours ago | parent [-]

But we are not talking about china.

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JumpCrisscross 13 hours ago | parent [-]

> But we are not talking about china

Author literally is.

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BoredPositron 13 hours ago | parent [-]

And in this subthread we are talking about republics which you are keen to mention china isn't.

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JumpCrisscross 13 hours ago | parent [-]

> in this subthread we are talking about republics which you are keen to mention china isn't

This subthread is part of the broader discussion. There are lots of Reddit corners for debating whether America is a republic. I haven’t seen any novel arguments in a while. The argument for whether an American AI is useful out of an American republic, its dying republic or even its embers is the germane one here, and I think it speaks decisively in favor against the one that’s proudly autocratic without organized dissent.

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BoredPositron 14 minutes ago | parent [-]

You are just sidestepping the discussion.

	▲	JumpCrisscross 5 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		> You are just sidestepping the discussion I'm avoiding an irrelevant sideline. Big difference.