Aella ✓ @Aella_Girl [Subscribe]
Getting into history stuff, I don't think I realized how fragile democracy is at its early stages. So many times people are like "fuck this monarchy/dictator shit, let's do a democracy" and then someone they don't like gets elected and they're like "wait not like that" and then they ignore or bend the rules to let them be the ones staying in power and then it's we're back to monarchy/dictator shit.
12:23 PM · Jan 19, 2026 · 17.6K Views
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Daryl ✓ @allvibesnoskill · 2h
[Embedded image, book page]:
CHAPTER XLII.—How easily Men become corrupted.
In this matter of the decemvirate we may likewise note the ease wherewith men become corrupted, and how completely, although born good and well brought up, they change their nature. For we see how favourably disposed the youths whom Appius gathered round him became towards his tyranny, in return for the trifling benefits which they drew from it; and how Quintus Fabius, one of the second decemvirate and a most worthy man, blinded by a little ambition, and misled by the evil counsels of Appius, abandoning his fair fame, betook himself to most unworthy courses, and grew like his master.
Careful consideration of this should make those who frame laws for commonwealths and kingdoms more alive to the necessity of placing restraints on men's evil appetites, and depriving them of all hope of doing wrong with impunity.
Note from Claude Sonnet 5
Aella reflects on the historical fragility of early democracies collapsing back into autocracy, and a reply quotes a chapter from what appears to be Machiavelli's Discourses on Livy about the corrupting effect of power (the Roman decemvirate). General political-philosophy content, not directly AI-related, but thematically adjacent to Nathan's interest in power concentration and governance structures (relevant lens for AI governance/institutional-design thinking).