Believing that one would avoid earlier rulers' mistakes does not make absolute power safe. Leaders remain human and retain the same vulnerabilities to power as their predecessors. Absolute power is compared to a toxin whose effects do not depend on someone beginning as a bad person. Durable political systems therefore need limits and accountability instead of personal assurances of exceptional judgment.
Notable Point · 15:31-17:53
Why political systems must assume leaders remain fallible
A discussion of absolute power argues that institutions should be designed around ordinary human weaknesses rather than confidence in an unusually virtuous ruler.