Opposing views are vital to policy refinement in Meritocratic Democracy.
In Meritocratic Democracy, the Devil’s Advocate ensures the strength of newly conceived policy. The most meritorious members of society are the utmost accomplished experts in their chosen field. The members of the hierarchy who have proven their intellectual worth to the rest of us will be the ones who put forth new policies, with the ultimate aim of providing the people with an improved mode of living. However, no one is infallible, and any new approach to governance must be thoroughly tested and verified by the state so as to minimize any oversight that may occur in its implementation.
The Devil’s Advocate thoroughly assesses the merit of any proposed policies. In times past, this was a person authorized by the Catholic Church to argue comprehensively against the entrance of a candidate for sainthood. The Devil’s Advocate would deeply analyze the character of the candidate in question, looking for holes in the evidence set forth, and stressed complete accuracy in the descriptions of the individual.
Meritocratic Democracy employs a similar system, but on a national scale. The Office of the Contrarian is an institution of proven experts in political science, economics, and other fields relevant to the legislation set forth, whose purpose is to analyze inherent faults, discrepancies, and unseen consequences resulting from its use in the public sphere. Those holding this office follow the rules of consistency, validity, and completeness in their analysis of newly presented policies.
A consistent policy is free of contradictions. A good example of such a policy is the Millionaires’ Estate Tax proposed by the Meritocracy International. In this procedure, absolutely no citizen is exempt from having their accumulated wealth, with $1,000,000 exempt, reinstated into the commonwealth of the state. The Office of the Contrarian will ensure that any new plan that contains a contradiction must be resubmitted, with all discrepancies accounted for and subsequently removed.
It’s necessary that the initial claims by new policy be valid in the sense that they identify the ultimate root cause of the problem and propose a rational fix for it. For example, claiming that the reason we’re experiencing a drought is that we haven’t spent enough time performing rain dances will not suffice. The validity must be based upon reason, supported by scientific analysis. The arguments within the legislation must be valid, rationally formulated and putting forth sufficient evidence for the law’s inception, and not founded on any fallacy.
Next, all new legislation must be complete in the sense that nothing new must be added to it, and that it explains its intentions clearly and concisely. Laws in current societies are filled with unnecessary jargon and make it exceedingly difficult for the average citizen to comprehend. In the United States, there is an entire section of government devoted only to interpreting what founders of the nation meant in their original constitution. This must be avoided. Laws must be understandable in their original language by educated citizens and those working for the state. The Meritocratic Constitution will be fully amenable and kept up-to-date to deal with current times. We will not revere the first Meritocrats as infallible, god-like heroes. Everyone makes mistakes from time to time, and the new laws will be rejuvenated with the energy of the current People of the State.
For the Meritocratic state, two heads are better than one only if the two have the same ultimate goal in mind: the welfare of the citizens’ potential that they exist to maximize. The Lawmakers must ensure that there exist no catastrophic flaws in the laws with which they infuse society. The process must be smooth, careful, and ultimately fruitful. The Office of the Contrarian ensures then that there are no discrepancies, loopholes, or ambiguity within a new law before it is placed into the public arena. As with anything in Meritocratic Democracy, if it is found that this new office has not had the desirable effect, it will be refashioned, and if still there are inherent problems, then other solutions will be found by the most intelligent and accomplished members of our society, who have proven their worth to the people. That’s the beauty of Meritocratic Democracy.
