I firmly believe that most citizens of Western societies, at their core, desire a meritocratic society. But what prevents us from fully realizing this ideal? One challenge is that a pure meritocracy is ultimately unattainable. However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive to bring society closer to this goal. So why do some societies come closer to meritocracy than others?
Both sides of the political spectrum tend to view the other’s biases as the primary obstacle. Yet, both often fail to recognize their own sacred cows—deeply held beliefs that go unchallenged. If we truly wish to make progress, we must be willing to critically examine our own assumptions.
On the Right:
Free, unregulated markets can solve all problems
Government intervention stifles innovation
Inequality of outcomes is solely due to differences in ability
Money is speech
[My brand of] religion is necessary to curb humanity’s baser tendencies
The Naturalistic Fallacy
On the Left:
The Blank Slate
The Noble Savage
Inequality of outcome is solely due to inequality of opportunity
The Naturalistic Fallacy