MixedThe Seattle Review of BooksHe also toys with the idea of an epistocratic council; a formal deliberative body (not totally unlike the Supreme Court) which can veto unsavory decisions made by the people. His final arrangement, 'government by simulated oracle,' is a rather farcical idea that should have stayed on the scrapheap ... I find his Burkean defense lacking. Yes, mobocracy means that people can act together and 'exert power over other market participants.' But we have laws and institutions in place that safeguard against the tyranny of the majority ... I agree with Brennan that democracy has become fetishized in our society. The USSR’s collapse convinced the West that democratic rule was not only supreme, but it was also inevitable...I found Brennan’s challenge a noble pursuit, even if I disagree with his prescription. We should always welcome thinkers that make us question the unquestionable.
Thomas L. Friedman
MixedThe Seattle Review of BooksNone of these accelerations spotted by Friedman are novel discoveries in and of themselves. However, when put together, they work extremely well as an explanatory pitchfork that describes why deep societal unrest has materialized across continents and cultures in the early 21st century ... While he does advocate for our institutions to support people hurt by automated jobs by emphasizing and empowering life-long learning, his blueprint for institutional adaptation is awfully vague ... To argue that all it takes to be successful now is a good idea and a connection to the supernova reeks of Silicon Valley delirium. It also shows that Friedman subscribes (a little bit too much) to the myth that life is a meritocracy, where the most adaptable and hard-working win out.
