The art of mudslinging during political campaigns prevents the general public from learning about what important thing

Where the candidates stand on the issues.

Explanation:

Mudslinging refers to the process of deliberately spreading negative information about a candidate in order to affect his public image. This is usually motivated by a rival's desire to gain a dishonest advantage. One of the negative consequences of mudslinging is that it makes it very difficult for the general public to know what is true and what is false, and therefore, makes it difficult to understand where the candidates actually stand on the issues.

adopted the practice of proskynesis, a persian court custom that involved bowing down and kissing the hand of others, depending on their rank.

social contract theory, nearly as old as philosophy itself, is the view that persons' moral and/or political obligations are dependent upon a contract or agreement among them to form the society in which they liv