Meritocracy

Meritocracy is a society based on merit. Meritocracy aims to replace consumerism with culture, place ideas above money, community over family, and aesthetics above shopping. Here are a few things to expect in a meritocratic society:
1.) It's not who your parents are, it's who you are
2.) It's not what others can do for you, it's what you can do for you.
3.) No discrimination, everything is based on talent.
4.) Everyone starts at the same starting line, you go as far as your talent takes you.
5.) Reward merit.
6.) Abolish party politics.
7.) Increase inheritance tax to 100%. No one should be able to transfer an advantage to another person of their choosing. The state should acquire all assets of the deceased and reinvest them to advance the good of the people.
8.) Education is the bedrock of merit, and should be accorded the highest importance in the meritocratic state. The current education system is a joke.
9.) Provide community based alternatives to the family so that if a family fails, its members can be nurtured in a different, constructive and productive environment of psychological and educational well-being.
Meritocracy would end the reign of privileged elites. The world would be free of royal families and Paris Hiltons.
Meritocracy would advance humanity, perhaps to utopia. Meritocracy would ensure that the country is governed by its most talented individuals. Those individuals shouldn't be constrained in any way. It's up to them how to govern, but they can be periodically voted out if they do not command the confidence of the people.
A Government should at all times seek to challenge its own decisions. If it can address the objections of its critics, its policies are more likely to be successful. The Government should actively seek out talented individuals to question Government policies. Anyone can join, particularly welcome are all intelligent people and lovers of culture. Shoppers, Conservatives, Monarchists, Religious Fundamentalists, Freemasons, and viewers of American Idol would be unlikely to be attracted to Meritocracy.
Those of you who agree with meritocracy, feel free to present more ideas for meritocracy. I encourage everyone to challenge these ideas. There is no easy answer to the problems of the world that will satisfy everyone, but I think this is a start.. Please contribute your ideas.

“I am about to take my last voyage, a great leap in the dark.” – Thomas Hobbes

reply to post by TheCelestialHuman


... who determines who is of merit and who isn't?

Nice idea but It could be a train-wreck too.

reply to post by chr0naut

Merit would be determined by ideas and intelligence rather than family and money..

I've read into this
And i know where you got a lot of this information and im unsure of the source itself, BUT, the ideas that said source talk about are very interesting.

I love the philisophical nature of it,
Meritocracy would work, it would take a couple decades to make a switch over to something like that, and you'll get a lot of people who say "Well i should be able to transfer my earnings to my children when i die". knowledge is much more worthwhile than the many billions of dollars.

This has a lot to do with dynasty families like the rothschilds as well, if this sort of inheritence tax was put into place a long time ago, the rothschilds or rockefellers would not be able to do as they do today. Perpetuate oligarchy with their offspring.

It's a great theory in my opinion. But just don't see any way it would work in real life. The people with more merit would eventually change the rules to suit themselves and "bing bang boom" we're back at square one.

reply to post by Eshel

Don't forget though, the government officials will be periodically voted out. Also, perhaps the rules could only be changed if the people agree.. there is plenty of room to work out the issues, i have only presented a brief overview of the ideas of meritocracy.

My grandmother lives by this system.. She says she has lived by it since she got her first degree, but at the time, there wasn't a name for it. Apparently, "meritocracy" is a "free-for-all" system that would fail. Nobody would really have a chance to succeed, because the "merit" is in the hands of your boss, authority, or whoever.

In different words you say this will end bureaucracy, end the "elite". How? Those who are there right now, will stay because they are the rulers now. They merit themselves. To discredit these people in this system, someone that they merit would have to call them out. We all know that if they merit someone, they won't utter a peep.

Admit it.. they have the game sowed up.

My grandmother.. is considered a f*%$ed up person by the way. Seriously. So think about this. And how it could turn bad into worse..

reply to post by Mizzijr

100% inheritance tax would help to eliminate the elite.. but in order to establish meritocracy, TPTB have to be overthrown first, otherwise it would never work.

It would never work in our current form of mass thinking,
Education would be free in this system.

Imagine what you could do if all knowledge is accessible to all for free?
Think of the possibilities as people would do what they want to do, not what they have to do to survive in our current system. I bet a lot of investment bankers wish there was a little more substance to their work than just numbers.

Take the restrictions of science. Let it flow.
Elimination of the ability of the elites to pass on their vast amounts of wealth to their offspring. Thus ending the last 200+ years of financial elitism that has been passed on and on down the lines. Kings, queens, presidents and dukes. What have you.

Originally posted by TheCelestialHuman
reply to post by Mizzijr

 

100% inheritance tax would help to eliminate the elite.. but in order to establish meritocracy, TPTB have to be overthrown first, otherwise it would never work.

Yeah and they would move away with their wealth defeating the purpose of doing that in the first place. Its not too hard to transfer your funds elsewhere and the thing you speak of would take time to set up,and so would let them take their money elsewhere. Then you would have a new Elite. The nerds would go on a power trip and ban sports,and a whole host of other things that would be horrible.(and dont start about not liking nerds because I was bullied by them as well as the jocks.)

The emphasis on education would be a huge advancement for humanity. The things we would accomplish i can not even conceive. Meritocracy or something similar seems almost essential to the evolution of humans. World peace even seems achievable through meritocracy. There are many great things that could come from this. But, it will require a lot of work to establish.

reply to post by yuppa

Yeah and they would move away with their wealth defeating the purpose of doing that in the first place. Its not too hard to transfer your funds elsewhere and the thing you speak of would take time to set up,and so would let them take their money elsewhere. Then you would have a new Elite. The nerds would go on a power trip and ban sports,and a whole host of other things that would be horrible.(and dont start about not liking nerds because I was bullied by them as well as the jocks.)

I would like to achieve meritocracy globally. Therefore, there would be no way for the elite to simply transfer their wealth. If nerds were to take over they would not be able to go on a power trip because they will simply be voted out and replaced. An idea I have for the voting system is that everyone who has merit in a particular field (education and ideas) would be able to vote only on issues and laws in their particular field. If elite were somehow able to form in meritocracy, they would not last long because through 100% inheritance tax, their children would not have an advantage.

The primary concern with meritocracy is the unclear definition of "merit" itself.[37] Different people often have their own standards of merit, thus raising the question of which "merit" has the best merits - or in other words, which standard is the "best" standard.

Meritocracy has also been criticized by egalitarians as a mere myth which serves only to justify the status quo, with its proponents only giving lip service to equality.[38] In the words of sociologist Laurie Taylor[38]:

“The hideous thing about meritocracy is it tells you that if you’ve given life your all and haven’t got to the top you’re thick or stupid. Previously, at least, you could always just blame the class system.”

A second concern regards the principle of incompetence, or the "Peter Principle". As people rise in a meritocratic society through the corporate ladder, they reach and are stuck at the first level of what they are unable to do.

Other concerns for the validity of a merit based system have arisen from studies in psychology, sociology and neuroscience. Given the proposition that 'a persons life prospects should not be decided by factors outside of their control or for which a person cannot claim personal credit' (i.e social status, inherited wealth, race and other accidents of birth) a meritocracy proposes a system where people are rewarded based on their efforts, and if everyone can start on equal footing with the same opportunity to advance, then the results are just. However, some studies have shown that even our motivation, work ethic and conscientious drive is in fact outside of our control and can be affected by such arbitrary factors such as birth order. Children who are first in birth order are more likely to be hard working[39]. Therefore, a system which rewards effort in this way is not just, because effort and hard work is not something we can claim credit for

reply to post by MESSAGEFROMTHESTARS

These are all problems that could easily be overcome. I don't see much of a problem.

Originally posted by TheCelestialHuman
reply to post by Mizzijr

 

100% inheritance tax would help to eliminate the elite.. but in order to establish meritocracy, TPTB have to be overthrown first, otherwise it would never work.

I doubt many would agree to that since it would have to apply for everybody and not just the elite. I'd actually like to inherit my parent's will of fire and continue what they strived for and more without paying for it. I am of their lineage and direct blood, why should I have to pay?

This would be huge change. I say it would fail not just because of the elite but what about mistakes people make? To start this system, we'd have to start from where we are, we can't just wipe the slate clean lol I'm saying that there are some people that won't even have a chance because of the mistakes they've made in the past. That would make them wroth, hopefully they'd still have a voice to be heard in the midst of all of the merit they lack, if not.. chaos will strike.

I'm not saying it's a horrible idea yet, but it just wouldn't work is all. Too many holes to fill and in the process, the goal of peace will be eliminated. The thought to think for others would vanish in such a mindset, I know this because my grandmother is like this and has a Ph.D, she is smart.. no doubt.. a genius even.. but her mindset is one track and that track is HER, not her children or anything. If her children fall behind or will not fall in her track they get cut off and left behind. It's cold and not right. All that time she spent getting her Dr and Ph.D and getting "merit" she had NO TIME for family. She has NO pictures of spending time with her children AT ALL. And guess what? She is in her 60s trying to get her family back. Every single one of her children left with no regret except one... and I hate to say it but she is on drugs.. she has no choice unless she wants to be on the street..

So good luck with your meritocracy. It won't work. You'll be sacrificing a ton of happiness for merit that won't mean anything once your dead.

reply to post by TheCelestialHuman

A meritocracy could work to some extent, as long as it wasn't corrupted and the rules of the game changed midstream (like the US just did to me son). It's got to be better than what we have right now which is more along the lines of an Idiocracy;



It was actually a pretty comical movie and the idea was portrayed in a way that you thought, "you know, this might just happen" with the clowns that are presently running governments.

Cheers - Dave

reply to post by Mizzijr

I doubt many would agree to that since it would have to apply for everybody and not just the elite. I'd actually like to inherit my parent's will of fire and continue what they strived for and more without paying for it. I am of their lineage and direct blood, why should I have to pay?

You could still continue striving for what your parent's strive for, just do it without their money.. Inheriting from your parents gives you an unfair advantage over people who are born to a family who is not as wealthy. In the case of 100% inheritance tax, everyone starts at the same point. No one starts ahead of the starting line, and no one starts behind it.

I'm not saying it's a horrible idea yet, but it just wouldn't work is all. Too many holes to fill and in the process, the goal of peace will be eliminated. The thought to think for others would vanish in such a mindset, I know this because my grandmother is like this and has a Ph.D, she is smart.. no doubt.. a genius even.. but her mindset is one track and that track is HER, not her children or anything. If her children fall behind or will not fall in her track they get cut off and left behind. It's cold and not right. All that time she spent getting her Dr and Ph.D and getting "merit" she had NO TIME for family. She has NO pictures of spending time with her children AT ALL. And guess what? She is in her 60s trying to get her family back. Every single one of her children left with no regret except one... and I hate to say it but she is on drugs.. she has no choice unless she once to be on the street..

Just because your grandmother is like this doesn't mean that everyone else would be like this in meritocracy. however, in meritocracy less emphasis should be put on family. The reason for this is because family will always do whats best for their immediate family, and will disregard the well-being of others. Family will cheat, lie, and sometimes even kill, just to help their family get ahead in life. The family is anti-meritocratic.

Originally posted by TheCelestialHuman
reply to post by Mizzijr

 

I doubt many would agree to that since it would have to apply for everybody and not just the elite. I'd actually like to inherit my parent's will of fire and continue what they strived for and more without paying for it. I am of their lineage and direct blood, why should I have to pay?

You could still continue striving for what your parent's strive for, just do it without their money.. Inheriting from your parents gives you an unfair advantage over people who are born to a family who is not as wealthy. In the case of 100% inheritance tax, everyone starts at the same point. No one starts ahead of the starting line, and no one starts behind it.

I'm not sure if you thought of what I'm about to say.. but the reason why people inherit things is to move forward.. I'm not wealthy in the least bit.. But if my mother has her goal and is trying to provide and make a better future for her children and were to abruptly die, she'd pass the torch to me. I have have little brothers and sisters, if I can't inherit my mother's things do you know what I'd have to do?? I'd have to re-invent the entire wheel!! My mother would have died for NOTHING. All her hard work would have gone to waste just because she didn't achieve her goals before she died.

Just because your grandmother is like this doesn't mean that everyone else would be like this in meritocracy. however, in meritocracy less emphasis should be put on family. The reason for this is because family will always do whats best for their immediate family, and will disregard the well-being of others. Family will cheat, lie, and sometimes even kill, just to help their family get ahead in life. The family is anti-meritocratic.

How else could they be in meritocracy? In meritocracy, you'd be wise to gain merit if you want to succeed. As a result those who take it very seriously will have neglected their families where as those who moderately weigh both will probably not have the chance to be as successful as the next person. Although, if everybody were to take it moderately then maybe it would pan out. Even still.. Life would be pointless if you can't pass the torch. No point in having kids.

What you're saying makes sense, and I get it, but that's not the problem here. You're coming from the view point, why can't everyone expect better from themselves? Well, we can't really define what is good and bad, because that's a societal based definition. So if the world as a whole were to adopt that position, suddenly everyone would become standardized. However, what makes cultures interesting, is each country's unique development. However, if we look to globalization, all modern technology is already available to any country for a price. So for the most part a society reflects its cultural values in its own development.
Plus, merit makes the assumption that everyone in the competition is at the same intelligence level. This is simply not true. Not to mention the slippery slope that could occur if we start assigning labels to what is meritable in relation to their intelligence.
I believe in God, but more so I let my moral compass dictate my interactions with others. I get stressed still like anybody else, but I have found by being appreciative and thankful for every person I have come across in my life, has lead me to a better life in all aspects. All I can control is myself, I can't impose on other peoples beliefs, and when I choose to speak, I use logic and empathy to state my case. I used to act morally to go to heaven, but after immersing myself in a variety of religious texts from around the globe, I do "good" not for my own spirit, but for the sake of others. Even if people say there is no heaven, that doesn't mean they can't recognize that desperate people, do desperate things. I too believe we could be a world of sustained peace, but again I must first reflect that message in my own conduct. I genuinely think a lot of institutions would simply dissolve past relevance, but again, that isn't for me to decide. I don't lose my identity by acting selfless, and since I changed, I have found only personal fulfillment. Stand strong in your convictions and remain unwavered by negativity, and it'll be reality.

Originally posted by TheCelestialHuman
reply to post by chr0naut

 

Merit would be determined by ideas and intelligence rather than family and money..

Would an idiot who saves someone's life have more merit than the composer of a symphony?

If Dr Josef Mengele claimed the results of his research and his doctorates gave him merit, would it?

At some stage you have to put your feet on solid ground and admit that there has to be a process or criteria for selection.

Who determines that? Can they be trusted or would they be corrupt and self serving too?

Establishment of a meritocracy requires inhibition of human nature & greed.