Why Were Victorian Elites So Effective?
This article challenges the modern obsession with rigorous, STEM-focused productivity by examining the success of Victorian-era British elites. It argues that these leaders achieved global dominance despite a lifestyle characterized by leisure, social indulgence, and a lack of formal academic intensity.
Why it matters
It provides a historical counter-narrative to contemporary 'hustle culture' and productivity-focused self-improvement trends.
Books about successful people often make success sound rather unappealing. Education should be intense and rigorous, focused on driving up IQ and on the ‘STEM’ quaternity of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Once adulthood is reached, life follows an austere pattern, with a 5am start, cold baths, daily visits to the gym, little or no alcohol, a Huel-rich diet, and Stakhanovite working hours. This last point generates particular excitement, and descriptions of powerful people dwell with eager fascination on how many hours they devote to their labors.
The elites of Victorian Britain operated differently. Their schools and universities were not terribly academic and had very little STEM. As adults, they got up late, drank a lot, and spent a remarkable share of their waking hours partying. They loved feasting, sports, holidays, dancing, and dressing up. Contrary to their stodgy reputation, they were probably a lot of fun.
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