Revising Meritocracy: Merits and Equality of Opportunity

There is much discussion on the relation between meritocracy and equality of opportunity. Without the latter, the former would be a justification of inequalities without any moral basis. However, equality of opportunity is trapped in the dichotomy between a formal version (ineffective) and a substantial one (which entails a great usage of resources by the political power). The present chapter explores this issue from a different angle. It will be shown that, to move toward a substantial equality of opportunity, what is needed is the pluralization of the concept of merit, i.e., a transition from a meritocratic society toward what may be called a “meritsocratic” one. Societies should be able to reward different kinds of merit. The case for meritsocracy will be advanced both from the history of Western ideas, drawing on the work of civil economists Giacinto Dragonetti and Melchiorre Gioja, and through case studies from the education sphere to the economic.