> "Natural" aristocrats are still aristocrats, and being aristocrats it is their "natural" inclination to take power in their own personal and (when they are numerous enough to be organized in a coherent group) institutional interests.
There is one sustainable solution to that: make sure that holding power is inconvenient and uncomfortable, something that brings disadvantages rather than inherent advantages to the power holder. Much like how jury duty is viewed today, and perhaps with similar mechanisms involving random sortition. "Natural" aristocracy works well with this, because one defining characteristics of a virtuous, talented, meritorious person is that she has way better things to be doing with her life than holding tyrannical power over others.
There is one sustainable solution to that: make sure that holding power is inconvenient and uncomfortable, something that brings disadvantages rather than inherent advantages to the power holder. Much like how jury duty is viewed today, and perhaps with similar mechanisms involving random sortition. "Natural" aristocracy works well with this, because one defining characteristics of a virtuous, talented, meritorious person is that she has way better things to be doing with her life than holding tyrannical power over others.