A Question of Modesty

Much of the greatest damage in history has been done by those who were convinced that they were smarter than just about anyone else, and, in many cases, the damage has been even greater when the person or persons in question were, in fact, almost as smart as they thought they were. Calvin Coolidge, one of America’s most underrated presidents, once said, “It is a great advantage to a president, and a major source of safety to the country, for him to know that he is not a great man. When a man begins to feel that he is the only one who can lead this republic, he is guilty of treason to the spirit of our institutions.”

Judge (and professor) Richard Posner explains what Coolidge meant: “The preference of many left-wing intellectuals derives from their basic contempt for democracy,” which allocates equal votes to the intelligent and stupid alike. Similarly, they find market economies irrational because they give equal weight to the economic decisions of the bright and the not-so-bright. Far better central planning by experts.

“It is natural for [those intellectuals] to fancy themselves as people who see clearly through the muddle….” Posner continues. “They see that things could be better; they are frustrated by their powerlessness to make things better, and this attracts them… to political solutions that involve the imposition of order from the top down.”

FORMER COURT PRESIDENT Aharon Barak is, by common agreement, a brilliant man. He is not, however, a modest one. As Judge Robert Bork once observed, “He establishes a world record for judicial hubris.”