Kyle Harrison
to-read
The Cult of Incompetence
- Author
- Émile Faguet
- Published
- 1911
- Pages
- 236
- Recommended
- Once
Why it’s on the list: A 1911 French argument that democracies systematically promote the mediocre — an early ancestor of a very current complaint.
Translated from Le culte de l’incompétence; reissued as an e-book by Imperium Press in 2026.
Where I saw it: @imperiumpress1 on X, February 16, 2026, announcing the e-book: “mass rule systematically elevates mediocrity, politicizes institutions, and erodes respect for competence, hierarchy, and judgment.”
Connections
- Democracy — the target of the argument.
- Ideological Family Tree — worth reading as the 1911 source of a recurring 2020s claim.