In Search of the Perfect State

President Trump repeatedly declared that under his leadership the United States had finally become a great nation—free and democratic—while before him everything was in terrible shape. Yet his successor, President Biden, said exactly the same thing, only in the opposite sense. President Vladimir Putin insists that Russia is the most democratic country in the world. North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Il once said the same about his state. History shows the same pattern again and again: from emperors of Rome to dictators of the twentieth century, rulers have always proclaimed their reign the best and their nations flourishing under them. Power is never taken with the intention of giving it up. Those who stand at the top of power shape the media and the educational system, using these tools to instill in citizens the vision of the world that serves their interests. But is that vision true? What kind of world do we actually live in, and who governs us—a greedy, ruthless dictator, or a just and