Human history has long been told as the story of exceptional beings—heroes, prophets, conquerors, and visionaries—whose will and charisma supposedly move civilizations. Behind this belief lies a continuity stretching from ancient myth and theology to modern politics, economics, and digital culture. Yet the elevation of singular figures has made history itself a form of captivity: collective progress and moral growth remain hostage to the egos of those who claim to embody destiny.

Even in an age that calls itself democratic, old hierarchies persist under new disguises. Media, celebrity politics, and algorithmic visibility manufacture modern idols, sustaining the illusion that greatness still speaks through individuals rather than systems. The “great person” has become a simulation—technocratic, populist, and spectacular—maintained by networks of manipulation and desire.

In response, the author envisions a post-heroic order of “systemic personhood,” where decision, responsibility, and continuity are shared among transparent and automated structures instead of concentrated in unstable human egos. Governance becomes maintenance rather than conquest; power dissolves into design. Through this transformation, Why Great People Keep History Hostage calls for the liberation of history from the tyranny of greatness and redefines the moral architecture of the future.