我们生活在一个无与伦比的时代。我们时代的政治、经济与科技境况都发生了翻天覆地的变化,西方国家曾津津乐道的“发达世界”的神话因而遭到了极大挫败,甚至变得毫无意义。有些变化造成的后果是不利的。比如现在民主政体的运行变得更为艰难。政府需要应对“选民紧缩”的局面。正如下文提到的,政治已经变成“管理失望”。当选的领导人无能为力,他们的权力被全球化、技术和怀疑主义消解 We live in an unparalleled era. The political, economic and technological conditions in our time have undergone tremendous changes. The myth of the “developed world” once rekindled by the Western countries has thus been greatly frustrated and even rendered meaningless. The consequences of some changes are detrimental. For example, democratization now becomes more difficult. The government needs to cope with the situation of “voter retrenchment.” As mentioned below, politics has become “manage disappointment.” The elected leaders are powerless, their powers are dispelled by globalization, technology and skepticism