Defending the Middle

Middle-class values preserve the average, the group, the “herd,”and what is wrong with that? Nietzsche didn't like this arrangement (The Will To Power). But the problem can be resolved by finding ways to advance the exceptions, the gifted, in pro-social ways, while not championing the anti-social, individualistic, evil geniuses, as Nietzsche in effect did.

Leadership can be understood as the gifted helping the group, the herd, advancing the average while at the same time advancing the gifted exceptions, with an Ordered Evolution that allows the preserving conservative values of the middle. This involves qualities that Nietzsche disliked or hated such as peacefulness, modesty, fidelity, justice, generosity, industry which help preserve the herd.

To help prevent the stagnation and devolution of the average, which is an important thing to prevent, the brightest, the gifted, can be identified, with various forms of psychometrics and genetic technology, but then the gifted need to actually help the herd advance along with themselves, rather then attacking the middle-class, as both the revolutionary left and right tend to do. I am not talking about demagogic leadership here that tells the herd what the herd wants to hear to advance the demagogic leadership only.

I don't think the middle, the average, hate the exceptional, as Nietzsche seemed to believe, I think the middle hates the anti-social evil geniuses who are in fact out to harm them. When the gifted use their gifts to advance the average along with advancing the gifted then the middle loves the gifted. We rise together over the long term, group selection is the primary unit of selection, and this has been true for humans since before we became human, although in a culture where only individualistic hedonism and consumerism are allowed it remains politically incorrect to say so.