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A
political system in which material success (wealth) of a person
depends on his abilities and efforts. In other words, this is a
society in which "career is open to the talents". In the circumstances
of developed social division of labor, such a result is best secured
by the market because on it, in principle, everybody earns according
to his capacity to satisfy needs and wishes of others. It is obvious
that such a care for others' needs requires an effort to check what
others want and an ability to take care of these wants. This regime
differs from libertarian minimal state mainly in this that it does
not allow that economic destiny of people is so highly determined
by their initial social standing - since it forbids inheritance.
Meritocracy's main difference from the welfare state lies in the
fact that it does not care for needs of all the poor people - regardless
of origin of their poverty - but only for needs of those of them
who tried to improve their situation but failed in this endeavor
because of unhappy circumstances. |