@philosophyminis: Most people think we have a right to vote. But according to the philosopher Jason Brennan, there is another right entirely: the right not to be governed badly. Brennan argues that a vote is not something you do just for yourself, because by voting, you are putting somebody in power over other people, and those people will have to live with the impact of your decisions for years and for years. Brennan argues that in most jobs or areas where our decisions hugely impact other people, like in a court of law or on a company's executive board, we expect those people to be capable and informed. If a juror in a criminal court wasn't listening, or didn't care, or knew nothing about the case, would we want them to decide over the life of a defendant? Why do we allow ill-informed voters to do exactly the same thing? Some people argue that voting makes people more engaged in the political system, but Brennan argues that voting actually increases partisanship. It makes us more divided and less willing to hear other people. Voting turns politics into a kind of sports game. For Brennan, the counterarguments are more practical than philosophical, because any competence test has to be designed by somebody with interests. And historically, every attempt to limit the franchise by capability was used to entrench the usual powers. But the questions that Brennan raises are important. Is voting the best way to create a government? Should we treat voting so lightly? Or should there be greater moral and legal consequences for anybody who puts somebody in power over others without thinking or doing their research first?

Jonny Thomson

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Monday 02 November 2026 14:30:00 GMT