The Wise and Sovereign People

In its dispersal of offices and power or accusations of elitism, democracy appears as anti-intellectual and therefore a formidable obstacle to modern philosopher kings. But can democracy, in the form of the wise sovereign people be seen as the preeminent modern form of the philosopher king? This chapter examines how democracy deals with philosopher kings by first evaluating the nature of democratic anti-intellectualism as diagnosed by Tocqueville. It then explores how democracy engages with wisdom institutionally by accommodating them within discrete offices such as the central banks and the judiciary. Finally, it evaluates more ambitious claims that in appropriate deliberative and epistemic fora the people are philosopher kings.