Elite Human Capital?
My Response to Richard Hanania's “Donald Trump and the Decivilizing of the Right,”
In his 2024 article, “Donald Trump and the Decivilizing of the Right,”[1] Richard Hanania, the President of the Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology, expressed his concern to rescue conservatism from the crass commercialism and self-interest that he sees in Donald Trump and his supporters. The way to do this, he writes, is to restore our awareness of the importance of “Elite Human Capital” which he defines in this way:
Elite Human Capital doesn’t mean superior in every way. It means “elite” in the sense of those who matter most for maintaining institutions, while also referencing the ways in which they are ethically superior to other people.
In modern countries, a certain class of people tends to have a disproportionate cultural and political influence. Yes, they are smarter than average, but plenty of smart people, and even successful ones, are not Elite Human Capital. In addition to high IQ, EHC has at least two other distinguishing features: an interest in ideas, and a moral code it lives by that goes beyond tribalism or a primitive form of machismo, due to being socialized among others who are like themselves.
As an example, he compares two hypothetical people of equal intelligence. One owns a number of car dealerships in Ohio and makes a lot of money, but he never reads “serious book(s)” or much more than how local sports teams are doing and the well-being of himself and his family. The other one moves to New York City and becomes a freelance journalist. She spends a lot of her time reading nonfiction and everyone in her social circle has some kind of interesting job as a writer, artist, academic, or political operative. Hanania concludes:
most educated people still have a sense that individuals in government, academia, politics, journalism, and the non-profit space are doing something more meaningful than those in say oil extraction or supply-chain logistics.
It's true that tribalism, or narrow loyalty to one’s own group, is something to avoid, and that the Bible speaks against (think about the parable of the good Samaritan), but Hanania’s list of praised occupations could also be described as a kind of elite “tribe.”
As will be shown in chapters 15 and 16 of my upcoming book, GENESIS 1:28 CIVILIZATION & Its Enemies, the corruption and politicization of government agencies, academia, “mainstream” journalism, and non-profit agencies are sufficient to put into question whether those involved in these fields are “doing something more meaningful” than those who extract oil from the ground or manage supply chains that bring machine parts to manufacturers in the U.S.
Shouldn’t his moral code also include the word, gratitude, for hardworking Americans who repair our roads, build houses, are on call in case of a plumbing emergency? Few would deny the value of the life of the mind. After all, many of America’s founders were well read in the Classics, political theory and, of course, the Bible. But they were not just political theorists, or, for that matter, engaged in government service, aka career politicians. John Hancock and Samuel Adams were experienced businessmen. John Adams was an accomplished lawyer, but he also managed a farm with his wife, Abigail. The word that best fits Ben Franklin would be self-made entrepreneur.
What I think Richard Hanania, and the elite class he claims to represent, do not understand is the value of the feedback loop that comes from working with the real world, that gives you an immediate corrective if your brilliant idea doesn’t work. Getting your hands dirty is not a bad place to start. As will be shown in the remaining chapters of this book, the world has often suffered at the hands of educated elites who think that because they have interesting careers, they are ethically superior and therefore more qualified to rule. Often, they aren’t.
[1] Richard Hanania, “Donald Trump and the Decivilizing of the Right,” December 17, 2024. https://substack.com/home/post/p-152976989.