The cult of incompetence

"The Cult of Incompetence" by Émile Faguet is a detailed look at democracies and how they might accidentally value being unqualified, especially when choosing leaders and making important decisions. Faguet examines why societies might choose incompetent leaders and the bad results this can have on how a country is run. He argues that valuing skill and knowledge is very important for good governance. The writing begins by looking at past ways of governing, and then it gets into how democracies often end up promoting people who aren't really good at leading. Faguet suggests that when people don't realize how important it is to have qualified leaders, it can make laws confusing and ineffective, led more by what people feel strongly about at the time instead of by smart thinking.