> "And incidentally, your classless utopia has a new crop of "influencers" (read: leadership-class) with disproportionate power. With no structures in place to restrain them but other members of the leadership-class with disproportionate power. That really only ends two ways - warring warlords or the leadership class unifying into an oligarchy."

The power of the "influencers" depends on the education level of the general population, does it not?

> "Oh, and you've overlooked how readily people are led into supporting positions directly contrary to their interests. It happens all the time. Tribal social structures and group identities make it easy and common."

As I've said to you before in an earlier comment, it'll take time to undo our earlier programming, to make us less prone to follow hierarchical structures (and to think with a mob mentality). The education to enable this can start today, we don't need to change our society in order to start changing ourselves.

> The power of the "influencers" depends on the education level of the general population, does it not?

No. It does not.

> "No. It does not."

If the population has been taught critical thinking and given plenty of chance to practice this in their formal education, then I don't see how it can't mitigate against the damage that "influencers" could do.

Then you have honestly not paid attention in the world today.

Do you believe teaching critical thinking in schools is worthwhile?

To be clear on what critical thinking is and can do:

http://youtu.be/6OLPL5p0fMg