[ithkuil]

I would not rely on our "mass intelligence" to be our savior. The behavior of masses is dominated by factors which are far far away the 'rational' choices and the best interests of whole communities. This is why we always talk about "if only we all did X", and the reason everybody in the pub knows the solutions of big social issues ("the solution is so simple, just do X") is because people assume that we can control ourselves and behave coherently as a group.

Yet people find easier to think of the problem from the other side and think that a bunch powerful people who bend the world to their own interests. It is true, there are those people, their effect is significant, but they are part of the game, they cannot control even themselves and their peers, not even when it would be in their interest (as a group).