The problem is NOT any one system of government—but the lack of Virtue (arete – excellence, moral virtue in ancient Greek). The Ancients understood this.
The Greeks had the concepts of Manliness, Righteousness, Sophrosyne (ancient Greek concept of an ideal of excellence of character and soundness of mind, which when combined in one well-balanced individual leads to other qualities, such as
Lycurgus commanded Virtue for the Spartan Republic.
Remember, Virtus Romana ! — And the mythical Mucius Scaevola, from school?
The writer of II Peter 1:5 “Supplement the Faith with Virtue”. — No church, Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant, has ever complied with that verse.
Virtue is the antidote to the effects of the original sin. Virtue is character training and morality. It is what makes a person good. People have to be trained to be good. There is no training in The Good in America!
Peasants could obviously complain when they didn’t like something, and they could protest, (sometimes at the cost of their lives) and they could send representatives to speak to the Lord or the King about their grievances. But for the most part, peasants had little interest in the workings of Government.
Now it is even worse, as we have the champions of capitalism (see Bill Gates, Rockefeller, Soros or Musk) who claim their leadership authority emanating from the sum of their bank accounts. No established record of virtue in the service of their society. Greed and Vanity are their only coordinates.
