Of the enlightenment ideals, liberalism is far more valuable to human flourishing than democracy. The world and history are full of many liberal, competent governments that are undemocratic, and many tyrannical and/or incompetent governments that are democratic. Democracy without extreme safeguards (constitution, checks and balances) will lead to both tyranny, mediocrity, and idiocy. He also extends the idea to institutions outside of the state like companies, religious institutions, and social groups.

It came out about three years before Idiocracy, and I’d kill to know if Mike Judge read it before making that movie.