Some Problems with Technocracy - by Arnold Kling
Progressives and conservatives have not necessarily stuck to their relative positions on issues. On free speech, there has been a complete reversal in my lifetime. In the 1950s, conservatives were responsible for “cancel culture.” Of course, it was not called that then—it became known as McCarthyism.
But one difference that persists concerns the role of technocracy. Progressives like the notion of public policy being formulated and carried out by experts. Conservatives, and especially libertarians, are skeptical.
Libertarians prefer leaving problems to be solved by individuals and by the market. The results will never be perfect, but we will enjoy our own freedom and agency. And we will not be stuck with a government policy that does more harm than good.
We offer at least three reasons to be skeptical of technocracy: the selection problem, the knowledge problem, and the corruption problem.
