Faith in leaders is the clearest example. Its dangers are obvious—picture a charismatic sociopath, or a “rally round the flag” effect that reelects an incompetent incumbent. But political faith also allows leaders—if they are so inclined—to circumvent their supporters’ misconceptions. Faith creates slack, and slack in the right hands leads to better outcomes. All you need are leaders who are somewhat well intentioned and less irrational than their followers. Since leaders are well educated, and education dilutes sympathy for popular misconceptions, at least the second condition is not hard to
...more
