A political system is considered meritocratic if individuals are promoted based on their abilities and talents, rather than based on their social or family background. The concept of meritocracy was popularized in the 1950s by British sociologist Michael Young with his satirical and dystopian book The Rise of Meritocracy. He defines merit as the association of intelligence and effort. However, the society he imagines based on merit ends up becoming a nightmare over the pages, exacerbating fundamental inequalities between individuals. How can we get to this situation?
Despite its initial negative connotation, meritocracy is today considered a pillar of social justice by most politicians. They associate it with equality of opportunity, which is also a democratic ideal. For example, Martine Vassal, during her campaign to win the town hall of Marseille, declared that her values are first and foremost merit and work.
But is this the same “merit” as that questioned by the authors who were interested in the question? For Amartya Sen, Nobel Prize winner in economics, the notion…
