This week, as we remember Caesar, I would like to discuss not whether he is worthy of our praise or our fury, but rather whether his very existence was bound to happen.

And by natural extension, whether more like him are destined to arise...

After all, it was none other than Plato himself who suggested that political systems deteriorate in a predictable cycle.

Excessive freedom, he argued, eventually destabilizes democratic societies. Citizens begin rejecting authority and expertise. Political leaders compete by flattering the masses. Economic inequality breeds resentment between rich and poor.at

poor.at this point, the table is set, the game is stacked, and a charismatic “protector of the people” emerges.

This leader promises to defend the people, but gradually consolidates power and, after eliminating rivals and relying on loyal supporters and mercenaries, he or she becomes a tyrant.

Did Caesar cross that line? It’s difficult to say…But I am fairly confident that his assassins were aware of Plato’s warnings… even if those ideas did not directly inspire their actions.so

actions.so this Ides of March, I ask:

Was Caesar, and those like him, inevitable?Are they destined to appear again and again?

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