Andrew Jackson claimed the right to govern not because he was the smartest man in the room. He based it on his bravery and cunning. Being the smartest man in the room leaves anyone vulnerable. Things are expected of him that he cannot deliver, because intelligence by itself is insufficient to govern. In a society based on knowledge, it would seem obvious that those with knowledge would be the natural rulers. Things are not as simple as that. The technocrats laid claim to acquired knowledge. Those who argued for common sense and their notion of morality opposed them.
