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Are our politicians worse than their predecessors?
They are neither better nor worse. Overall, they are intelligent and mainly interested in the game of alliances.
The impression that they are worse comes from three factors:
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We tend to idealize the past, portraying past politicians as more serious and virtuous than they actually were. This is partly because we observe all current politicians, but only a tiny minority of those from past generations who had a significant historical impact.
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Current problems are more complex due to our greater technological expertise. Therefore, the gap between a rough, intelligent solution and a solution adequate for the problem at hand is greater today.
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During the 19th century, technology transformed us into demi-gods. Before, major problems such as famine were caused by meteorological events beyond our control, whereas now, almost everything depends on our political choices. Our expectations are therefore legitimately higher.
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