Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

Your logic is flawed in practical terms - does it matter who cleans the toilet? By your argument if any one of a given group is suitable then choosing no-one is most suitable.

I think the logic is unsound in either locus.



I see, I wasn't completely clear. I meant that if our system makes it so that everyone is suitable for government, why bother having elections? We could just draw names from a hat. There is no point in voting for a candidate if that candidate would perform exactly as well as every other candidate. Elections in that scenario are literally asking people to make judgements that are impossible to make.


Thanks for clarifying - the alternative is real democratic representation. That is the selected few would be representative in a more statistically significant way. It seems strange to choose a few privileged people as "representatives". I'm getting quite drawn by the idea of a lottery instead of an election; like being called up to jury duty.


Indeed, true democratic representation would avoid that problem. I think that it would also make NDT's point even clearer. If the citizens were directly making the country's decisions then we certainly should be making serious efforts to ensure that every citizen is equipped to make the best decisions for the country.




Consider applying for YC's Fall 2026 batch! Applications are open till July 27.

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: