• LwL@lemmy.world
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    22 hours ago

    Average. It’s just an average. I haven’t verified whether the number is accurate (and often it’s probably debatable what qualifies as an empire and at what point it fell) but some empires lasting way longer does nothing to disprove 250 years being the average lifespan.

    The second part of what you said is still entirely correct of course, that number has no real predictive capabilities for the collapse of the USA.

    • ComradeSharkfucker@lemmy.ml
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      21 hours ago

      It isn’t though, I have seen the original source of this claim and its bs. The author just picks and chooses when empires begin and end so that it fits their claim. I would concede the point if it were ever actually an average.

      • LwL@lemmy.world
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        7 hours ago

        I mean yea that doesn’t surprise me in the slightest honestly, even outside of the number itself being pretty meaningless in the first place it’s very fuzzy what the actual dates are.