Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Is Meritocracy an Idea Worth Saving?

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

The problem with meritocracy is that "there's huge correlation between the kind of material support that people have, and their ability to perform on the kind of exams that allow people to get into colleges." So 'merit' turns out to be a proxy for 'wealth'. And as Ross Douthat says, "That is what Harvard is in the business of doing, the sort of condensation of networking and people having access to each other's ideas and family connections and all the rest. That's what Harvard institutionally is committed to."

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Apr 25, 2024 7:30 p.m.

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