The Vision of the Anointed

Core Concept

The Vision of the Anointed describes how intellectual elites:

• See themselves as morally and intellectually superior
• Believe they can solve society's problems through control
• Dismiss opposing views as stemming from ignorance or bad motives
• Judge policies by intentions rather than results

The Pattern

Stage 1: "The Crisis"

• Declare a crisis exists
• Use dramatic language
• Cherry-pick statistics
• Ignore contrary evidence

Stage 2: "The Solution"

• Propose government intervention
• Claim moral high ground
• Dismiss cost concerns
• Promise dramatic results

Stage 3: "The Results"

• Ignore actual outcomes
• Blame insufficient funding
• Attack critics' motives
• Move goalposts

Stage 4: "The Response"

• Deny failure
• Claim more time needed
• Propose bigger programs
• Repeat cycle

Real-World Examples

War on Poverty

• Crisis declared
• Massive programs launched
• Poverty rate stopped falling
• Spending increased anyway

Education Reform

• Crisis declared
• Spending tripled
• Results flat or worse
• More spending demanded

Housing Policy

• Crisis declared
• Controls imposed
• Shortages created
• More controls proposed

Key Characteristics

1. Moral Superiority

• Self-congratulation
• Dismissal of critics
• Assumption of bad faith
• Moral preening

2. Causation vs. Correlation

• Confusing correlation with causation
• Ignoring alternative explanations
• Dismissing contradictory evidence
• Selective use of statistics

3. Trade-offs vs. Solutions

• Ignoring trade-offs
• Promising solutions
• Dismissing constraints
• Avoiding accountability

Visual Summary

graph TD
A[Vision of the Anointed] --> B[Crisis Declaration]
A --> C[Solution Proposal]
A --> D[Results Denial]

B --> B1[Statistics]
B --> B2[Rhetoric]
B --> B3[Media]

C --> C1[Government Action]
C --> C2[Moral Claims]
C --> C3[Dismissal of Critics]

D --> D1[Blame Others]
D --> D2[Move Goalposts]
D --> D3[Demand More]

How to Recognize It

Red Flags

1. Crisis language
2. Moral superiority
3. Dismissal of trade-offs
4. Attack on critics' motives
5. Immunity to evidence

Common Phrases

• "We must act now"
• "Only the government can"
• "For the children"
• "Social justice demands"
• "Critics don't care about..."

Think It Through

Questions to consider:

1. Who pays the costs?
2. What are the incentives?
3. What is the evidence?
4. What are the trade-offs?

Key Takeaways

1. Judge policies by results, not intentions
2. Consider incentives and trade-offs
3. Demand evidence, not rhetoric
4. Watch for the pattern
5. Follow the money