This post raises an important point, but the paper itself does not empirically demonstrate that corporate capitalism and political institutions are “filtering machines” optimized to select psychopaths. It is a theoretical review proposing that, for some people high in psychopathic traits, dominating others may itself be a core motive for seeking power—not merely a means of acquiring money or status.
What remains significant is that dominance, freedom from empathic hesitation, superficial charm, and apparent fearlessness can be socially misread as decisiveness, courage, and leadership. The resulting harm is then externalized as “the pain of reform,” “necessary sacrifice,” or “the unavoidable cost of war.”
So the question is not only why psychopaths rise to the top.
Why have our institutions treated the capacity to harm others without hesitation as a qualification for leadership?