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When the Term Meritocracy was Coined in 1958, it was in a Dystopian Satire

posted by n1 on Saturday June 18 2016, @06:20AM   
from the in-my-day-we-called-it-social-darwinism dept.

An Anonymous Coward writes:

When Michael Young, a British sociologist, coined the term meritocracy in 1958, it was in a dystopian satire. At the time, the world he imagined, in which intelligence fully determined who thrived and who languished, was understood to be predatory, pathological, far-fetched.

Today, however, we’ve almost finished installing such a system, and we have embraced the idea of a meritocracy with few reservations, even treating it as virtuous. That can’t be right. Smart people should feel entitled to make the most of their gift. But they should not reshape society so as to instate giftedness as a universal yardstick of human worth.

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Original Submission

• Re:Idiocracy (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 19 2016, @11:53AM

  by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 19 2016, @11:53AM (#362389)

  I have been under the misconception that the "merit" prefix implied "...deserve or be worthy of (something, especially reward, punishment, or attention).", as in EARNED it. Earned as opposed to being "gifted", i.e., born with it. Kind of like being elected to representative office in government verses being born into royalty, that latter implying some bizarre birthright to have dominion over others not so fortunate in the genetic lottery.

  The dictionary definition of "mertiocracy" includes "government or the holding of power by people selected on the basis of their ability." ... I always have assumed that "their ability" implied "demonstrated ability", rather than simply being born with a high I.Q.,

  Certainly, a lot of potential derives from circumstances of birth, but much more important is what one makes of what they have.

  Parent