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Veritasium On Why Democracy Is Mathematically Impossible

The video explains why there are always 2 major contestants in an election and why inherent biases lead to the voting choices we have today. If is filled with examples from History and considers/advocates for a ranked voting system.

Watch the video to find out.

The video explores the mathematical challenges and paradoxes inherent in different voting systems, illustrating why a “perfect” democracy is mathematically impossible when using ranked-choice methods.

The Flaws of “First Past the Post”

How it Works: Voters pick one favorite candidate, and the person with the most votes wins [00:46].
The Problems: This system frequently results in a winner who did not receive the majority of the popular vote [01:48]. It also causes the “spoiler effect,” where similar candidates steal votes from each other (e.g., Ralph Nader in the 2000 US Presidential Election). This effectively incentivizes strategic voting over honest preference, which eventually leads to a two-party system—a phenomenon known as Duverger’s Law [03:17].

Ranked Choice and the Condorcet Paradox

Instant Runoff (Ranked Choice Voting): Voters rank their preferences. If no one gets a majority, the lowest candidate is eliminated and their votes go to those voters’ second choices [04:51]. While it encourages more cordial campaigns, it can create a bizarre mathematical anomaly where a candidate performing worse in the first round can actually cause them to win the overall election [06:59].
Condorcet’s Method: Proposed in 1785, this method suggests the winner should be the candidate who beats every other candidate in a head-to-head match-up [09:31].
The Paradox: This leads to a rock-paper-scissors scenario known as Condorcet’s Paradox. For example, a group might prefer Burgers over Pizza, and Pizza over Sushi, but also prefer Sushi over Burgers, resulting in an endless loop with no clear winner [11:09].

Arrow’s Impossibility Theorem

In 1951, Kenneth Arrow outlined five fundamental and reasonable conditions for a fair ranked voting system [12:19]:

Unanimity: If everyone prefers A over B, society must prefer A over B.
No Dictatorship: No single person’s vote should override the preferences of everyone else.
Unrestricted Domain: The system must consistently produce a valid conclusion for society based on all ballots.
Transitivity: If A beats B, and B beats C, then A must beat C.
Independence of Irrelevant Alternatives: Introducing a new option shouldn’t change the relative ranking of the existing options.

Arrow mathematically proved that satisfying all five of these conditions in a ranked voting system with three or more candidates is impossible, a discovery that earned him a Nobel Prize in Economics [14:06].

A Potential Solution: Rated Voting Systems

Arrow’s theorem only applies to ordinal (ranked) voting systems.
A mathematical workaround is using rated voting systems, such as Approval Voting. Instead of ranking candidates, voters simply tick all the candidates they approve of [19:50].
Research shows this method increases voter turnout, prevents the spoiler effect, and successfully avoids the paradoxes outlined by Arrow’s theorem [20:13].

Veritasium on Why Democracy Is Mathematically Impossible

March 4, 2026

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Phil Wickham What An Awesome God (Sunset Walk)

Lyrics: God is great Give Him all the praise Hallelujah, Name above all Names Fire in His eyes Healing in His veins Everywhere His glory on display

Take a look at those stars He can Name them all Before His throne every knee falls The demons have to run The angels have to praise Even the wind and waves obey

Our God is an awesome God He reigns from heaven above With wisdom power and love Our God is an awesome God

And even when I ran He didn’t run away He came and put death back in its place Friday on a cross Broken for my shame Sunday morning rose up from that grave

Take a look at those scars on His hands and feet He saved our souls for eternity Worthy is the Lamb Glory to the King Oh, let all the saints and the angels sing

Our God is an awesome God He reigns from heaven above With wisdom power and love Our God is an awesome God

Eyes on the Sky There will be a day He will come and wipe our tears away No more fear No more pain No more sorrow sin or shame

The King is coming back again A reign of love that will never end For everything You’ve done And everything You do And everything You are I’ll sing to you

My God You’re an awesome God You’re great in all You do I’m made to worship You My God You’re an awesome God

What an awesome, awesome God You are No one like You, none beside You God we worship You You’re worthy, You’re worthy With wisdom power and love Forever we sing

Our God is an awesome God He reigns from heaven above With wisdom power and love Our God is an awesome God

Our God is an awesome God Our God, what an awesome God

Phil Wickham - What an Awesome God (Sunset Walk)

March 3, 2026

Smith & Thell - Hotel Walls: A Visual Metaphor for Transience [with Lyrics]

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Music video for Smith & Thell - Hotel Walls. Era: Music from 2020s. It explores the idea that we are all just temporary tenants in our own lives.

► Lyrics I signed the papers For a lifelong lease I rent the earth where I stand And the air I breathe Then you forget that deal you made with God While busy finding yourself being young, being dumb and in love It’s all too easy And you’re easily bored Never once has it crossed your mind that life’s too short

And there’s a third person walking behind us A tap on the back and it’s there to remind us Life is a blink of an eye ‘til you are no more.

So, I stand back, and I watch us fall As we break everything inside these hotel walls Life’s for rent and it called us out So, I hand back the key as the door man bows

They greet you welcome With roses and champagne And when you walk through the lobby They all know your name But all beautiful things Come with edges and thorns And the body you borrowed is starting to look kind of worn

So, I stand back, and I watch us fall As we break everything inside these hotel walls Life’s for rent and it called us out So, I hand back the key as the door man bows

We’re just grains in the universe I let that comfort me when I’m anxious This life is beautifully ugly at times

It’s beautifully ugly at times It’s beautifully ugly at times It’s beautifully ugly at times It’s beautifully ugly at times

So, I stand back, and I watch us fall As we break everything inside these hotel walls Life’s for rent and it called us out So, I hand back the key as the door man bows

Smith & Thell - Hotel Walls: a Visual Metaphor for Transience [with Lyrics]

March 2, 2026

Smith & Thell - Hotel Walls (Acoustic Version) [with Lyrics]

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Acoustic version of Music video for Smith & Thell - Hotel Walls played on Guitar. That melody before the chorus ‘🎵 So I stand back

► Lyrics I signed the papers For a lifelong lease I rent the earth where I stand And the air I breathe Then you forget that deal you made with God While busy finding yourself being young, being dumb and in love It’s all too easy And you’re easily bored Never once has it crossed your mind that life’s too short

And there’s a third person walking behind us A tap on the back and it’s there to remind us Life is a blink of an eye ‘til you are no more.

So, I stand back, and I watch us fall As we break everything inside these hotel walls Life’s for rent and it called us out So, I hand back the key as the door man bows

They greet you welcome With roses and champagne And when you walk through the lobby They all know your name But all beautiful things Come with edges and thorns And the body you borrowed is starting to look kind of worn

So, I stand back, and I watch us fall As we break everything inside these hotel walls Life’s for rent and it called us out So, I hand back the key as the door man bows

We’re just grains in the universe I let that comfort me when I’m anxious This life is beautifully ugly at times

It’s beautifully ugly at times It’s beautifully ugly at times It’s beautifully ugly at times It’s beautifully ugly at times

So, I stand back, and I watch us fall As we break everything inside these hotel walls Life’s for rent and it called us out So, I hand back the key as the door man bows

Smith & Thell - Hotel Walls (Acoustic Version) [with Lyrics]

March 2, 2026

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Back to Life - Zahriya Zachary Music Video

March 1, 2026

Team Eternity Ghana Defe Defe led by Naana Asiedu

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Song written by Vessel Chordrick and Naana Asiedu\nDefe Defe\n
\nVerse:\nFather, the universe You made\nEverything displays the wonders of your
\ grace\nYou took my sin, my guilt and shame\nAnd You gave me Your name\nWe go sing
\ halle! 2x\n\nB\u0254hy\u025B na Wohy\u025B\u025B no aba mu o\n(The promise You
\ made has come to pass)\nI\u2019ve got my victory in You\nWoka me ho nti mensuro\n
(You are with me so I will not fear)\n\nPre-chorus:\nWo na Wode Wo nkwa to h\u0254
\ na\n(You\u2019re the One Who laid down Your life for me and)\nWosee s\u025B menam\n
(You said if I walk)\nAsum kabii b\u0254n mu\n(In the valley of the shadow of death)\n
Woka me ho nti mensuro\n(You are with me so I will not fear)\nB\u0254hy\u025B na
\ Wohy\u025B\u025B no aba mu o\n(The promise You made has come to pass)\nI\u2019
ve got my victory in You\nWoka me ho nti mensuro\n(You are with me so I will not
\ fear)\n\nChorus:\nMonnyae me!\nDon\u2019t hold me back! / Allow me!\nMa menda
\ Nyame ase\n(Let me thank God)\nM\u2019anhyia Nyame anka y\u2019ay\u025B me defe
\ defe\n(Had I not met God my enemies would have defeated me)\nDefe defe\n(Defeated
\ me)\n\nRap:\nAgya Onyame (Agya Onyame)\n(Father God)\nS\u025B m\u2019anhyia Wo
\ a (S\u025B m\u2019anyhia Wo a)\n(Had I not met You)\nAnka m\u2019awu (Anka m\u2019
awu)\n(I would have perished\nS\u025B m\u2019anhyia Wo a (S\u025B m\u2019anyhia
\ Wo a)\n(Had I not met You)\nAnka m\u2019as\u025Be (Anka m\u2019as\u025Be)\n(I
\ would have been destroyed)\n\u0186bonsam p\u025B me s\u025Be\u025B enti daada
\ na \u0254tataa me\n(The devil wants my destruction so he keeps persecuting me)\n
Nanso \u0186komafo Yesu ab\u025Bgye me ko yi ako ama me\n(But the Defender/Advocate
\ Jesus has taken my battle and fought it for me)\n\u0186sikani Yesu ab\u025Bgye
\ me ka yi atua ma me\n(Rich Jesus has taken my debt and paid it for me)\n\u0190
nti m\u2019ade me ho oo\n(I\u2019ve been set free)\n\u0190nti monnyae me, \n(So
\ don\u2019t hold me back / So allow me)\nMma obiara nha me\n(Let no one bother
\ me)\nYesu abro bonsam w\u0254 as\u025Bndua no so ma w\u2019ay\u025B hahaaha!\n
(Jesus has defeated the devil on the cross and now he is powerless!)”