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"Democracy" is not the opposite of "technocracy"

computingandsociety.substack.com · 5,745 words · saved by 1 readers

It is a truism today that, broadly speaking, public trusts in experts (especially in scientific expertise) is declining. And many analysts believe that one of the reasons for this is that the experts imposed their own views on solving problems rather than being more sensitive to what people wanted; not surprisingly, there was a public backlash, and hence, declining trust. There is some truth to this story but this post is less about the story itself than what has been often offered as the solution to the problem of declining trust in experts. The advice to experts, often coming from people who agree with this story, is that they embrace democracy (let the people decide), rather than technocracy (experts deciding for the people). To some degree, I agree. After all, who could possibly oppose the injunction “be more democratic”? But this sort of advice, centered on a contrast between “democracy,” on the one hand, and “technocracy,” on the other, is a mistake. It presumes that the central

"Democracy" is not the opposite of "technocracy" Consulting regular people as opposed to experts does not make something more "democratic." Democracy is an ethos. Advocates should justify policy preferences by describing the value tradeoffs. Shreeharsh Kelkar Aug 17, 2025 15 24 8 Share I gave Gemini the title of this post and it gave me back this “landscape showing a harmonious blend of a democratic community and a futuristic, technological city.” I am not sure I agree but all I needed was a cool image so. It is a truism today that, broadly speaking, public trusts in experts (especially in sci

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