There are two ladders to the top of any hierarchy. The first is competence — you’re so good that you rise. The second is manipulation — you’re so good at seeming good that you rise. Every field has both, but the ratio depends on how tight the feedback loops are.Surgery, engineering, competitive athletics — hard metrics dominate, so faking it gets you killed or exposed. But politics? Corporate leadership? The “product” is almost entirely perception. No objective scoreboard. The manipulation ladder has almost unlimited traction.Research on psychopathic traits in executives (Babiak, Hare) puts prevalence at 4-12% vs ~1% general population. These aren’t serial killers — they’re people who score high on charm, fearlessness, reduced empathy, comfort with deception, and willingness to exploit without guilt. Dutton calls it “successful psychopathy.”The structural problem is that democratic politics specifically selects for these traits. To win you must: relentlessly self-promote for years, make promises you won’t keep, build and discard alliances strategically, endure public humiliation without flinching, attack opponents while projecting warmth. For an empathetic person this is soul-crushing. For a subclinical psychopath it’s Tuesday.The process of getting power rewards different traits than using power well. Campaigning rewards dominance and shamelessness. Governing rewards patience and genuine concern. The filter is misaligned with the job. We choose surgeons by who gives the best TED talk.Machiavelli understood this. So did Callicles in the Gorgias — the strong naturally rule, and conventional morality is cope for the weak. Nietzsche’s master morality maps almost perfectly onto the Dark Triad profile. Even Plato’s whole project in the Republic was trying to solve this exact problem — how do you get philosopher-kings instead of tyrants when the system rewards tyrannical traits?The depressing implication: democracy may systematically attract and elevate the people least suited to serve anyone but themselves. Not universally — but the incentive structure doesn’t filter them out.Books worth reading on this:Hare — Without ConscienceBabiak & Hare — Snakes in SuitsDutton — The Wisdom of PsychopathsMachiavelli — The Prince (obviously)Plato — Gorgias, RepublicNietzsche — Beyond Good and EvilIs there any political system that actually solves this, or is the psychopath’s advantage structural and permanent?
>>25190710I think the instituting of advance psyche evaluations and neural scans to weed people like this out will be necessary in the future, but the irony is that some brutish, quasi anti liberal assumptions will need to be put into action to do so. Also, same should be done to people with borderline personality disorders, who are utter menaces to society, even if they and psychos need to be wearing state mandated armbands like jews did in Germany.
>>25190804Also, ancient and medieval Chinas examination system is a politico-historical example that could point the way to both proper incentive and aptitude alignment especially when paired with the priorly mentioned technical processes of filtering out anti/a-social degenerates.
>>25190710The advantage of "psychopathic" traits is an inherent weakness of cooperation. Any form of trust at all can be selfishly exploited. This problem (if it is one) is solved by becoming selfish yourself. A society of purely self-interested actors would, of course, eliminate the comparative advantage of selfish actions.
is this even a problem?self described "empaths" are often frozen by indecision and when they do make a decision it's based on little more than their immediate feelingsI don't think democracy uniquely rewards it either, every system is ruled by decisive and strong willed men
>>25190710Wasn't there a classic libertarian author who made this exact claim --that people with these traits naturally rise to high positions within the State?
>>25190934Would like to know this
>>25190804Could also lead the way to curating for the most sheepish and controllable people as possible until we are reduced to mewling drones.A body that does not face disease becomes weak, lethargic, and insipid I want a society that can manage psychopaths, maybe even flourish and USE them as they use it. A society that can deal with and grow from erratic actors rather than simply does not have them.Something something "I do not wish for peace, but the strength to endure a difficult life">>25190812Maybe blind obedience to the examination system actually fascilitated some of China's fundamental faults.>>25190855this (kind of). I dont think the solution is to purely become selfish agents, but to generally align the personal good with the general good while not entirely relying or assuming either. A society that strives for good will, but does not rely on it.
>>25190710>they’re people who score high on charm, fearlessness, reduced empathy, comfort with deception, and willingness to exploit without guilt Can we stop calling normal people who display average behaviours psychopaths?
