The meta topic sitting beneath the surface of Daniel Miller’s sprawling essay on revolution is a study on the nature of aristocracy and its role in an ordered self-governed society.
In the modern context, “aristocracy” is believed to be those possessing the earmarks of inherited wealth, unearned social privilege, and personal vanity. Classically understood however, aristocracy is simply “the rule of the excellent” (from the Greek aristo or “excellence,” and kratos or “rule”), where according to Plato, governance is entrusted to individuals deemed to be of superior virtue, wisdom, and merit.
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