[M. Dodge Thomas]

Brings up the question of how politics would be different if most of us had experienced 300 years - rather than 50 - of ongoing social and technological change; we might be more open to experiment if we seen many of out one-time certainties overthrown by changing circumstance, or we might become even more rigid in our convictions.

Looking at the fact that most people become increasingly attached to the past and fearful of the future as they age - that pessimism increasingly trumps optimism, and fear increasingly trumps hope - my guess is that the pace of change would be much reduced.

[SJackson]

Brings up the question of how politics would be different if most of us had experienced 300 years - rather than 50 - of ongoing social and technological change; we might be more open to experiment if we seen many of out one-time certainties overthrown by changing circumstance, or we might become even more rigid in our convictions.

Here on FR we still relive the Civil War and the Inquisiton. I'd go with the latter.