One of my friends recently sent me the following:
I agree that of course experts/elites make mistakes and are not infallible so their leadership will always be imperfect.Data driven decision makers are always limited by the data available.However, I think the know-nothings will be wrong much more often and therefore incapable of providing informed leadership.
Ugh.
I agree that democracy is to some degree an unattainable ideal. Power will always go to those who are recognized as experts. Unfortunately, the experts are not always driven by data to make decisions in the public interest. Rather, there are frequently personal and small group incentives that result in decisions which are against the greater public interest. Take for example the following 21st century disasters, along with the responsible experts:
- War in Iraq 2003 -- Intelligence Community
- War in Afghanistan 2001-2021 -- Military
- Financial Crisis 2008 -- Wall Street
- Pandemic 2019-present -- Medical / Scientific Establishment
There have all been bipartisan affairs. Our democracy entrusted the experts to take the lead in all these endeavors, and the experts failed. It can be argued that the know-nothings are those who support such experts.
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