Among them is that systems of governance are not immortal and that democracies can devolve into autocracy. As institutions decay and social norms fray, democratic processes and practices are prone to apathy, demagoguery and disintegration. One scholar ringing the loudest alarm bell--or perhaps death knell--is David Runciman. He is a professor of politics at Cambridge University and the author of "How Democracy Ends". His replies are followed by an excerpt from the book. Upgrade your inbox and get our Daily Dispatch and Editor's Picks.

Before he died, eccentric philosopher Jeremy Bentham asked that his body be stuffed and wheeled out at parties to help his friends with their grief. But the social reformer didn't stop there, bequeathing 26 memorial rings to those he knew and admired, featuring his bust in silhouette and strands of his hair. Now scientists are on the hunt for Bentham's rings, of which just six have been found since his death in 1832. The philosopher commissioned the rings a decade before he passed, leaving them in his will and testament to a list that included famous politicians, journalists, fellow philosophers and several of his servants. Researchers say the missing artefacts could be spread across the globe, after one was found in a jewellery shop in New Orleans.