The world is not ruled by wise and benevolent people. The opposite is true. Humanity is ruled by the psychopathic, the narcissistic and the Machiavellian - the malevolent Dark Triad. For humanity to progress, it needs to learn how to beat these people, how to identify them early and stop them getting to the top.
The Dark Triad types are always entropic and extreme individualists (they are all-consumingly selfish and care exclusively about themselves). We need to get the Light Triad to the top - the Compassionate and Empathic (the opposite of psychopaths); the Altruistic (those who care about others, hence aren't self-obsessed like the narcissists); and the Philosopher Kings and Queens (the opposite of the Machiavellians, who are Sophists who only ever calculate what is personally advantageous to them).
Plato, in the Republic, set out how to avoid the Dark Triad from ever reaching power. In his system, only the wisest were allowed to lead. No nation in history has ever implemented Plato's supremely enlightened and progressive ideas. Funny that.