Because tools of mass control were discovered before tools of mass co-operation, the human itinerary since the Stone Age at first took us away from egalitarianism.

The record of our time on Earth tells us that, under the right conditions, we’re a co-operative, egalitarian and amiable-enough species. We are highly social; we value individual autonomy; we don’t have much time for leaders.

It looks increasingly as if Trump is serving as a kind of liquidator of the United States. His tariffs & wars - in the face of clearcut national bankruptcy - suggest a nation being asset-stripped in advance of its owners moving on. Those investing in the Trump family, & other

If I could summarize what's happening in the US right now, I'd say it's shock & dismay among Trump's voters at how he turned out. Most of the central promises torn up, & thrown to the wind. This is merely a dramatic, time-compressed example of what all presidents & legislators

johnmacgregor.substack.com/p/democratise-… My latest Substack.

Today's video on Rumble, giving a simple introduction to Third Draft Democracy. I outline why our society's recurrent failure to bring our problems under control comes down to addressing them at their own level, rather than at their source: our flawed, captured democratic

1/3 Human nature is often conceptualized via a ‘split model’. Religion gives us ‘lower nature’ v. selflessness; anthropology has ‘dominance’ v. ‘counter-dominance’; and psychology has ‘anti-social’ v. ‘pro-social’ traits.

1/2 Humanity’s hallmark egalitarianism arose from a suite of biological and cultural adaptations—you might call them the ‘democratic instinct’. So it’s not surprising that the first kings and prelates had to work hard to keep this instinct in check.

The decline of the United States mostly comes down to one factor: The system is up for sale. Numerous parties—American & non-American—hold franchises over one part of the government or another. Under Bush II, the Saudis appear to have purchased immunity for their role in 9/11.

My other links: Bluesky: @johnmacgregor.bsky.social Substack: substack.com/@johnmacgregor Rumble (videos): rumble.com/user/JohnMMacg… LinkedIn: John Macgregor (democracy re-design) Retailers worldwide stocking The Mechanics of Changing the World: books2read.com/thirddraft

The West has pretty much completed the transition from democracy to oligarchy. It will never lead the world again. But if it wants to retain any internal cohesion or economic heft it will need to democratize. To put the people in charge of the government.

We haven't faced up to the fact that representative democracy doesn't work very well. It has a built-in elite - a small governing class who are physically & mentally distant from us. An elite that is eminently, glaringly corruptible. The political science of many years is

Our transition from democracy to oligarchy is the source of our wars, inequality, public health crises, environmental harms, & much more. They are the 'plagues' - & state capture is the Pandora's Box that released them into the world. There's no coherent resistance to this

1/2 Returning to Athens, Solon cancelled all debts, and outlawed debt servitude. He released debtors from slavery, and from prison, and brought them back from exile. Plutocracy was terminated at a stroke.

As the transition from democracy to oligarchy nears completion, the state engages in more extreme acts. And because all safeguards have been dismantled, it cares much less about who knows about them. These guys - the Syrian militia HTS - are being armed by the CIA to attack