The love of domination and an uncontrolled lust of arbitrary

The words of Mercy Otis Warren—“The love of domination and an uncontrolled lust of arbitrary power have prevailed among all nations and perhaps in proportion to the degrees of civilization.”—resound like a warning carried on the winds of history. They reveal that the pursuit of domination is not a disease of a few, but a sickness that spreads through the whole of humankind. And more grievous still: as societies grow in civilization, their instruments of control become sharper, their appetite for arbitrary power more insatiable.

This utterance speaks of the paradox of progress. With each new invention, each structure of law, each flourishing of art, nations rise to glory—but so too do they expand their machinery of conquest. The very strength of civilization, if untethered from virtue, becomes the tool of tyranny. Warren, who lived through the birth of a republic, saw that the struggle for liberty is eternal, for power unchecked will always seek to rise above justice.

History offers us the lesson of Rome. In its infancy, it was a republic of citizen-farmers, modest and free. Yet as it advanced, conquering lands and gathering wealth, the love of domination overcame restraint. Emperors rose with absolute power, and though Rome stood as the pinnacle of civilization, it rotted from within, undone by the very lust for power that had first made it great. Warren’s words mirror Rome’s fall, reminding us that progress without humility leads to ruin.

Her declaration is also a call to vigilance. To guard liberty, one must recognize that the seeds of tyranny lie not only in kings and emperors, but in the hearts of all people. For domination can wear many faces—monarchs, generals, politicians, even common men who seek to bend others to their will. Civilization, without the tempering of virtue, magnifies these desires until they enslave entire nations.

Let this truth endure across the generations: beware the intoxicating pull of power. Progress in arts, sciences, and governance is hollow if it breeds arrogance and oppression. True civilization is not measured by monuments, armies, or wealth, but by the degree to which it restrains domination and exalts justice. As Mercy Otis Warren warns, the higher we climb in achievement, the greater the peril of corruption—unless we choose the harder path of humility, virtue, and freedom.