The Merits Of Meritocracy

In the current cultural climate, meritocracy is dismissed as antiquated and unjust – a failed doctrine of the patriarchy.

But this foundational virtue of democracy shouldn’t be discarded so casually.

It is an equalizing approach based on the principle that individuals can advance and thrive on the basis of talent, effort, and achievement rather than on their social class.

It may not afford everyone wealth and prestige, but a properly functioning meritocracy will allow the greatest number of people to improve their position in life, regardless of objective factors like race, gender, or creed.

Equity Versus Equal Opportunity

Inequality is an intractable problem that has plagued every society in history. Slavery in the United States and the treatment of indigenous peoples there and in Canada are examples of inequality that stem from a lack of opportunity imbedded in the historical development of these two countries.

When it comes to rectifying such legacies, the principle of equal opportunity provides the fairest and most sustainable path forward. This cornerstone of a properly functioning meritocracy fosters self-determination and autonomy at both the individual and community level, resulting in a perpetual social flourishing.

The equity doctrine, on the other hand, prioritizes equality of outcome as a way to redistribute wealth across demographics. This pillar of socialist theory is currently promoted as the solution to many of society’s ills.

On the surface, these principles may seem congruent but they are in fact polar opposites. Equality of opportunity is a path to resentment and impoverishment. It does not succeed in elevating people but instead reduces them to the lowest common denominator. The recent social unrest in Cuba is a direct result of the equity doctrine, enforced through communism, that has kept the nation under authoritarian rule for over 60 years. The Cuban people are poor, oppressed, and fed up with living within the imposed limitations of their government.

Myriad social experiments across millennia have resulted in systems of both tyranny and freedom. Through the necessity of progress, the concept of a meritocracy came to play an important role in civil democracies. It was a foundational value of the American system and perhaps the most critical factor in that country’s rapid rise to a dominant superpower.

Andrew Carnegie, the son of Scottish immigrants, went from making $2.50 a week as a telegrapher to one of America’s richest men and greatest philanthropists. Carnegie was not born to wealth or social class but was able to use his work ethic and perseverance to capitalize on opportunities as they presented themselves. This is meritocracy in action.

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