Polity Atlas
BookPrimary source

Against Democracy

Jason Brennan · Princeton University Press · 2016

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Type
Book
Author
Jason Brennan
Accessed
2026-09-01

Claims citing this source

3 claims
EstablishedBrennan defines epistocracy as rule of the knowledgeable: a regime is epistocratic to the extent that political power is formally distributed by competence, skill and good faith. He lists restricted suffrage, plural voting, an enfranchisement lottery, an epistocratic veto and knowledge-weighted voting as forms.DisputedEstlund, as characterised by Brennan, accepts that knowledge differences exist and that well-run epistocracies might perform better, but denies that expertise alone gives authority to rule; Brennan answers that his case rests on an 'anti-authority tenet' against imposing incompetent rulers.DisputedCritics argue that a political-knowledge test would likely exclude members of disadvantaged groups, who on average score lower. Brennan replies that epistocracy would be assessed against democracy's own unequal outcomes and that some designs, such as an enfranchisement lottery, avoid the objection.