Intelligent Democracy and Intelligent Epistocracy

In Intelligent Democracy, Jonathan Benson defends democracy’s epistemic merits. However, rather than focusing on the abilities of individual democratic institutions, Benson advocates a systemic perspective according to which we must understand how different institutions, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, interact to achieve more in aggregate than any could alone. At the same time, he criticizes alternative political systems, such as epistocracy, on the grounds that they disproportionately harm the ability of certain groups to safeguard their interests while also being susceptible to capture and abuse. This paper argues that the systemic perspective Benson advocates applies as much to epistocratic systems as it does to democratic systems. By considering different kinds of epistocratic institutions—and especially by considering how epistocratic institutions can interact with other institutions possessing complementary strengths—we can see how epistocratic systems can overcome the challenges they face.