Leiden University Student Repository

Visser, Jelmer (2022)

The Need of Virtues in Politics: Political virtues as a possible solution and foundation to practicing politics

Master thesis | Philosophy (MA) (60 EC)

This thesis addresses these problems regarding collective decision-making in democracy, analyses the solution epistocracy provides, and argues that the solution proposed by epistocracy is not enough to create competent political individuals. Furthermore, I provide one possible solution for overcoming these problems with a political system based on multiple essential political virtues – a virtuecracy. This project consists of research on how and which political virtues can create and support a conception of a political citizen and voter that is competent enough to fill in the ‘virtue’ gap that Jason Brennan’s epistocracy creates.

(Politics

Democracy

Virtues

Voting

Selection)

Author

Visser, Jelmer

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

PPPE

Supervisors

T. Wells

ECTS Credits

20

Language

en