Presented by Andrew Cuff to the Socratic Club on September 27th, 2007.
In the following essay, I am going to present the best system of government yet devised. This system arose from a debate concerning education, with a specific emphasis on standardized testing. It will apply to some, but not all, countries, and will definitely rest on several assumptions of possibility. One should not confuse the term “assumptions of possibility” with “assumptions of reality,” for I am not claiming hypothetical solutions to philosophical problems, only hypothetical solutions to engineering problems. Furthermore, if these assumptions of possibility are accepted, then the reader will agree that cannono-geniocracy, or the rule of the super-intelligent by use of superior firepower, is the obvious choice in every category of measuring government.
I will begin my description of cannono-geniocracy where cannono-geniocrats believe the root of modern governmental problems reside: the hierarchy of power. First, allow me to compare the hierarchy of ancient and modern governments with cannono-geniocracy. This will hopefully provide a backdrop for the concept of hierarchy. In Ancient Israel, rule of the people was a mixture between Theocracy and Monarchy. According to the Jewish tradition found in the Bible’s Old Testament, the Hebrews were originally commanded to look to God for their precepts and organization. God would elect a spokesman to speak through him, such as Moses or Samuel. The people would obey the words of this spokesman as if they were the words of the Lord. Then, contrary to the wishes of the Lord, the Hebrew people desired a king like those of their neighboring countries. God gave them Saul, who was still technically subject to the word of the Lord through the prophet Samuel. However, the kings of Israel and the God of Israel often conflicted. Nominally, though, the hierarchy looked something like: God, Prophet/King, Priests, children of Israel, foreign immigrants, and unclean. Although this is a rough sketch, it gives the basic idea of a Theo-Monarchy. Another system of government is the Communist Dictatorship found in the U.S.S.R. Because most today are familiar with their system of government, they can easily see their hierarchy: Dictator, “kitchen cabinet” (including secret police, head of education, military leaders, etc.), bureaucratic government (which was a hierarchy in itself), collaborators (obeying the laws of the system), and delinquents (not obeying the laws of the system). There were also several sub-groups based on race, gender, and class who were discriminated against hierarchically, but I am simply pointing out the basic outline of the system. Both the Theo-monarchy of Ancient Israel and the Communist Dictatorship of Modern U.S.S.R. contain a hierarchy.
The hierarchy to be found in cannono-geniocracy is based on intelligence. At the very top of the hierarchy is the Absolute Despot, known as the “Arbitrator,” “Alpha Male,” “Big Cahoona,” “Imperator,” or some other endearing term of total domination. The Absolute Despot is the smartest man in all the land (later we shall discuss how this is to be determined), and by right controls what we will simply refer to as the Robot Army. As I mentioned before, I shall be assuming that there will one day be solutions to certain engineering problems, and this is one. Consider this Robot Army incapable of disobedience to the Absolute Despot, thought-controlled, the most powerful military force on earth, and capable of almost any physical task. This is a grand assumption, but the existence of cannono-geniocracy rests upon it. Rather than engaging in all sorts of meaningless diversionary arguments about the nature of Artificial Intelligence, let us simply assume the Robot Army’s possibility.
Second in command is the Suggestion Committee, a large group of the runners-up for “smartest man in all the land.” This group of highly intelligent individuals conducts research, brainstorming, and problem-solving in order to better manipulate the forces behind the essential tenets of society, such as education, production, nutrition, entertainment, transportation, research and development, and many other departments. All of their suggestions are brought before the Absolute Despot, who sets aside a certain amount of time daily to deal with the requests. If the suggestions are ratified by the Absolute Despot, then the Robot Army will see to their implementation. For example, if the Nutrition Department invents a more efficient way to synthesize protein globules, then they prepare a concise and detailed report, which is either accepted or denied by the Absolute Despot. In this manner, the smartest humans in the land are responsible for all major decisions that determine the future of the country.
Third in the hierarchy are those who exist as high-level workers, filling positions held in American Democracy by the educated. These are the company executives, the supervisors, the engineers, scientists, doctors, writers, entertainers, educators, architects, consultants, and myriad other positions that, the majority of the time, would require much post-high school education in 21st-century American society. This level, like all other levels, is determined by one’s scores in the Standardized Test, which will be discussed later.
Fourth in the hierarchy are what cannono-geniocracy refers to as the “Faliures,” or those who cannot complete the rigorous educational requirements to become a part of one of the other three classes. Failures fill such positions as sanitation engineers (garbage men), clerks, cubicle drones, factory workers, janitors, basic mechanics, and other low-paid, low-educated positions. They do not remain Failures for their entire lives unless they choose to, for they will have many chances to improve their status (as will be explained later).
Now that the hierarchy has been explained, one can see its superiority to the other hierarchies mentioned. It is first of all much simpler, and divides society along clear lines, so that every man knows his status, and what he has yet to achieve. It also eliminates class divisions based on race and arbitrary chance; its class divisions are based solely on one’s intelligence, which varies based only on one’s desire for more intelligence. Therefore, the society will increase in intelligence as the populace comes to realize the literal reality of the adage “Knowledge is Power.” More intelligent people means a better human race and a better world. Also, there will be less unrest in society, because the intelligent man realizes that social status is not the most important aspect of life. Therefore, notions of revolution and civil disobedience will be seen as secondary.
The foundation of cannono-geniocracy is its education. A society founded on rule by the intelligent requires very specific definitions of who is the most intelligent. All capable humans will begin schooling at a younger age, in order to provide a fuller and longer educated life for all. Students will enter basic learning schools at the age of three. From here, they will progress through a series of levels similar to American Pre-school, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. The extent of knowledge required to graduate middle school will be determined by the Absolute Despot, and the standard will most likely increase over time depending on how highly the average citizen scores on the Standardized Test. How well one scores on this test at the end of middle school determines where he will be placed in the hierarchy. This is not a lifelong determination; the test is offered again one year after the first attempt, and then again every five years, and may be taken as many times as one wishes. A low score will place a student in a low-level position, but any medium or high score will place the student in high school (a four-year program of higher education) that eventually allows the student to reach high-level positions, government positions, or even the position of Absolute Despot (if their score is higher than the current Despot’s score).
The Standardized Test, the cornerstone of cannono-geniocracy, is a conundrum in itself. If I were to explain all of the intricate aspects and sub-aspects involved in its design, then I would in fact have to be named Absolute Despot and the smartest in the land. Therefore, suffice it to say that the Standardized Test is an assumption in itself. There are some who argue that this assumption is false. They say that there are infinite concepts and precepts upon which one can be tested. Also, they claim that the test is ultimately flawed because it is based upon the intelligence of the individual who designed it. They even claim that if it is designed by a group of intelligent individuals, it is limited by the intelligence of the most intelligent member of the group. I would argue against this in two ways: first of all, I believe that intelligence exists. In order for me to rationally doubt the existence of intelligence, I would need to possess some intelligence. Because intelligence exists as an aspect of humanity, it automatically exists, as does everything else, in greater or lesser quantities in certain individuals. Therefore, there must be a rational way of determining quantity of intelligence; in other words, the Standardized Test. I would also argue that there are ways to escape the “limited intelligence” argument, or the argument that the Standardized Test is limited by the one who created it. I believe that if the Standardized Test were not simply a human endeavor, but a super-human endeavor, then its difficulty and fairness would indeed be super-human. There are many ways to achieve such super-human design. For instance, a test designed by a deity, a test designed by alien intelligence, and a test designed by a super-human machine are all methods of escaping the human intelligence ceiling for the Standardized Test.
Previously explained tenets of cannono-geniocracy include its hierarchy, its general operation, and its firm foundation in education (especially the Standardized Test). To summarize, I will include a short list of Pros and purported Cons to its governmental strategy. First of all, it has inherently a basic system of checks and balances: the possibility of revolution. The law of the land includes by default an allowance for revolution, because even if it does not, a revolution nullifies the law, and therefore allows for itself. The reason that revolution is a check is because it causes both the higher and lower ends of the hierarchy to look out for each other’s needs. It is balanced because of the Principle of Sufficient Organization. If enough low-level workers wish to revolt, they require “sufficient organization.” In other words, if they really feel oppressed enough to revolt, they will need to prove it by being exceptionally organized. Otherwise, the Robot Army will simply destroy them, as they are a minority of dissenters among the contented masses. The second argument in favor of cannono-geniocracy is that it allows for self-betterment. Unlike the old Hindu Indian caste system, a person is not stuck on their spot in the hierarchy for life. They may continue to take the Standardized Test as many times as they wish until they die. The third argument in favor of cannono-geniocracy is that it presents a system in which everyone in power is more intelligent than those not in power. Unlike American bureaucracy, there will be no government workers who cannot speak the national language, or cannot file a paper to save their life. They will all be the crème de la crème of society’s intelligentsia. Even those in high-level business positions will be moderately well-schooled. Overall, society will function myriad times better because the more intelligence one has, the more power he/she has. The fourth argument in favor of cannono-technocracy is that it pushes society to be more intelligent as a whole. Basic human nature includes a desire for power as well as a desire for intelligence. Unfortunately, modern society has suppressed that desire for intelligence by making it difficult to obtain and not very rewarding (monetarily or otherwise) once it has been obtained. Cannono-geniocracy places intelligence on an even scale with power, making it more rewarding to obtain. It also improves schooling, making intelligence easier to obtain. Overall, the system makes intelligence desirable once again.
The disadvantages of cannono-geniocracy are only those presented by pretentious “Political Scientists” who believe that, all-knowing and wise, they can predict the paths that a certain government will take, simply based on the paths that previous governments have taken. The first disingenuous accusation against cannono-geniocracy is that “Absolute power corrupts absolutely,” a quote originally derived from the writings of English political historian Lord Acton in his Letters to William Gladstone. I think that this quote must be believed to be incorrect; after all, it is most often used by those from the Judeo-Christian tradition in association with their belief in objective morality. Is not their God one of absolute power? Is He corrupted absolutely? More importantly, the Absolute Despot of cannono-geniocracy is the most intelligent man in the land. In order for any man to declare him corrupt, they would have to be more intelligent than he, in order to see all of the purposes of his schemes and actions. If they were more intelligent than he, then they would be Absolute Despot. The second accusation against cannono-geniocracy is that it is no better than the Nazi regime, where a small group of citizens is persecuted by a larger group and made to feel oppressed (obviously comparing the low-level laborers of cannono-geniocracy to the Jews and other minorities oppressed by the Holocaust). However, this is a ridiculous comparison as well. Those persecuted in the Holocaust did not choose to be of a certain race, and could not change. On the contrary, the low-level laborers of cannono-geniocracy are low-level because they did not try hard enough in school. If they wanted to improve their status, they could do so by personal study and application.As you can see, cannono-geniocracy is without a doubt the best system of government yet devised. Although its implementation may seem impossible, it really boils down to an engineering problem. It would require a forceful takeover of government, it would require highly advanced technology, and it would require ridiculous amounts of good fortune to overcome the insurmountable legal bulwarks keeping it at bay. However, do not doubt that it is coming. As you grow older, and witness the necessary technology being developed, and more and more minds converting to the cause, you, too will see its obvious superiority. Rule by the intelligent can be the only way to organize government, and the only way to protect this ideal government is by force. Therefore, cannono-geniocracy will forever reign supreme as the gubernatio optima of mankind.
