One such limit is the idea of a republic which limits democracy. Pure democracy (mass political freedom) would quickly be overtaken by demagogues, pranksters, parasites, and the like. So we empower politicians to ignore us once they're voted in or to pretend they're serving us even when they're not. Lots of democracies are turning to autocracy because they're disenchanted with liberalism, with the idolizing of personal liberty, which leads to soul-crushing consumerism, the destruction of the biosphere, the deranged cults of Trumpism and Wokeness, and so on. I'm not saying we should long for a dictatorship in which we'd surrender to some higher power. But let's not kid ourselves. Liberalism is anomalous in history, and virtually all religions tempt us with a theological dictatorship.