The impossibility of identifying wise rulers justifies the necessity of democracy

Evidence

The problem of finding a collection of ‘wise’ men and leaving the government to them is thus an insoluble one. That is the ultimate reason for democracy. — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 509

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 509
• XREF: connects to: Power cannot self-realize but depends on societal-structural conditions for legitimacy; An ultimate power to decide generates its own norms and cannot be trusted; The Leader’s rightness is unfalsifiable because its test lies beyond contemporaries’ reach (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• An ultimate power to decide generates its own norms and cannot be trusted #corroborates (0.82)
• Power cannot self-realize but depends on societal-structural conditions for legitimacy #corroborates (0.75)