Brennan, Jason: Against Democracy: Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2016. Hardback ISBN: 9780691162607, £24.95. 304 pp

Abstract

Against Democracy, by Jason Brennan. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2016. Hardback. ISBN: 9780691162607, £24.95. 304 pp. The author contends (a) from a purely instrumental perspective, the unconditional suffrage of all citizens is unlikely to lead to good governance; (b) from a non-instrumental perspective, democracy appears to be intrinsically unjust, for it violates a so-called B competence principle. Brennan does not only argue against democracy: given (a) and (b), he also claims (c) democracy should be replaced by epistocracy, i.e. a political regime where the right to vote is granted only to citizens fulfilling certain epistemic requirements.