<
https://press.princeton.edu/ideas/a-belief-in-meritocracy-is-not-only-false-its-bad-for-you>
"Most people don’t just think the world should be run meritocratically,
they think it is meritocratic. In the UK, 84 per cent of respondents to
the 2009 British Social Attitudes survey stated that hard work is either
‘essential’ or ‘very important’ when it comes to getting ahead, and in
2016 the Brookings Institute found that 69 per cent of Americans believe
that people are rewarded for intelligence and skill. Respondents in both
countries believe that external factors, such as luck and coming from a
wealthy family, are much less important. While these ideas are most
pronounced in these two countries, they are popular across the globe.
Although widely held, the belief that merit rather than luck determines
success or failure in the world is demonstrably false. This is not least
because merit itself is, in large part, the result of luck. Talent and
the capacity for determined effort, sometimes called ‘grit’, depend a
great deal on one’s genetic endowments and upbringing."
Via Kevin O'Brien, who wrote "Meritocracy is a big lie."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
http://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
