Defining True Meritocracy
Attaching the word “merit” to describe X’s relationship to Y, means that X has qualities that are distinctly good for Y. If e.g. Y is position “Sheriff”, then candidate X needs to be distinctly qualified to act as Y based on relevant requirements. The originally Greek suffix “-cracy”, means “power” and/or “govern”. Summa summarum, “meritocracy” signify a system where acquired power is legitimate in a true and utilitarian sense. The modifier “true” indicates purity of this undertaking.
Key Points:
- Experts on Y know best what X needs to succeed as Y
- X needs different abilities/skills for different Y’s
- We need to develop an interdisciplinary science of merit
- Meritocratic system only functions if its evidencebased
- System is totally dependent on equality of opportunity
- Meritocracy is very different from technocracy
Frequently asked Questions
Which color do you get if you mix red and blue? Purple! The color of True Meritocracy. Having said that, we don’t consider this a centrist movement, since politics is multidimensional. As such, we might be characteristically to the left on some issues, while on the right on others. Where we end up on any issue is dictated by facts, and what people consider as left- or right-winged in a given historical context.