How each model solves the same problems
Instead of “democracy versus anarchism”, compare the concrete ways collective problems get solved.
| Question | + Model | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| How are decisions made? | A federal assembly of delegates from about 23 cities, with three, two or one votes per city by size; it elected the Lyciarch and federal officials. | A stratified random sample of 523 voters deliberated in moderated groups and plenaries and answered questionnaires before and after; no decisions were taken.Sortition / citizens' assembly | |
| How are conflicts resolved? | Federal courts with judges drawn from cities in proportion to their votes; treaties with Rome regulated external jurisdiction. | Balanced briefing materials, trained neutral moderators and competing experts structured disagreement. | |
| How are public goods funded? | Federal cults and sanctuaries, coinage and courts, financed by contributions proportional to votes; later, benefactions by wealthy Lyciarchs. | Privately funded; produced published results, media coverage and a peer-reviewed study. | |
| How is AI used? | None; an ancient federation. | No AI role. | |
| What are the main risks? | Elite domination of city delegations, dependence on Rome for security and foreign policy, and annexation. | Self-selection into attendance; artificial setting; analysis by the method's designers; no institutional uptake. |
This illustrates differences in design; it is not a universal claim about outcomes. Each cell links to mechanisms and the claims behind them.