Implicit in this analysis is the question of what becomes of the competent but politically unreliable who are pushed out of institutions in favor of the useful midwits. I would argue that the former are the true elite, in the sense of being possessed of the skill, talent, knowledge, and drive that are foundational properties of an elite. The latter are a faux elite, temporarily claiming elite prestige and power but steadily squandering it due to unforced errors. Their own incompetence destroys their legitimacy. Meanwhile, the dispossessed true elite will not long suffer their position, but will set about constructing alternative power centers that, as they gain prestige via attention and results, steadily drain prestige from the institutions controlled by the faux usurper elite.
Implicit in this analysis is the question of what becomes of the competent but politically unreliable who are pushed out of institutions in favor of the useful midwits. I would argue that the former are the true elite, in the sense of being possessed of the skill, talent, knowledge, and drive that are foundational properties of an elite. The latter are a faux elite, temporarily claiming elite prestige and power but steadily squandering it due to unforced errors. Their own incompetence destroys their legitimacy. Meanwhile, the dispossessed true elite will not long suffer their position, but will set about constructing alternative power centers that, as they gain prestige via attention and results, steadily drain prestige from the institutions controlled by the faux usurper elite.
I appreciate your work here.