Diffusion & Conquest: The Fourth Estate & The Fate of Empires Everything degrades. Whether by err, or by divine providence, the trajectory of all great powers bends inevitably toward decay. Call it entropy, or human nature—the mechanism is irrelevant—the outcome is as fixed for Empire, as it is for you and I. For four-thousand years of recorded history, the “Human Yardstick” has measured the rise and fall of empires with chilling precision. Ten generations from the pioneer's sword to the hang...

Diffusion & Conquest: The Fourth Estate & The Fate of Empires Everything degrades. Whether by err, or by divine providence, the trajectory of all great powers bends inevitably toward decay. Call it entropy, or human nature—the mechanism is irrelevant—the outcome is as fixed for Empire, as it is for you and I. For four-thousand years of recorded history, the “Human Yardstick” has measured the rise and fall of empires with chilling precision. Ten generations from the pioneer's sword to the hang...