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MERITOCRACY – STANDARDIZATION
Marian Baltazar
Class of 1980, University of the Philippines College of Manila
AB Political Science
A society adheres to a certain standard or norm and when we talk of standardization, people differ in a lot of
things, especially when we speak of meritocracy. An individual can be either famous or notorious, but whatever
and however y...ou would see a person, we come up with a surmise if he is either intelligent or not. Then we
start to gauge how a person fares or how he really is. Is his IQ (Intelligence Quotient) high or not, and
sometimes we even wonder too if he possesses a talent, such as artistic creativity or athletic prowess or even
social skills. Not to speak of the acquired skills, knowledge or experience that can also be considered. All of
these things can be considered meritorious. Regardless of the status of an individual, be it a wealthy person,
famous, or coming from a very prominent family, we try to decipher if we could honor and respect with great
value those who really excel in a certain or specific field and give them their due right.
What then does a society as a whole deem as value and merit? As the Wikipedia puts it, in a meritocracy, the
society rewards (by wealth, position and social status) those who demonstrated talent and competence,
demonstrated through past actions or by competition. Unlike in democracy, a person can get into a higher
position just by convincing other people about his competence. Whereas in a meritocracy, an individual doesn’t
have to resort to convincing people, but he would merely have to prove his competence and other skills for
that matter. On the other hand, in every known human society, the non-meritocratic factors such as seniority,
inheritance, favoritism, and discrimination, will actually determine who the one in charge is. Not in the case of
meritocracy, for it characterizes a system wherein statuses are achieved.
People nowadays are neither naïve nor ignorant, because all of us are aware of the high standard that a system
could have. Meaning we need to see a government whose leadership are being led by able and talented
persons. In meritocracy, we talk about an elite group of people whose progress is based on their ability or
talent rather than on class privilege or wealth. These are individuals who are chosen not because of their birth
or wealth but solely because of their superior talents and intellect. Definitely, in a meritocratic society, we are
not divulging the fact that people can have influence because they come from a social class, but rather because
they were of influence and status according to their abilities and achievements.
We can also say that experience can be considered meritorious and can be attributed or associated with
particular attitudes and values such as diligence, perseverance, and willingness to take risks and defer
gratification. One can either say that these attitudes are acquired, or can be linked to achievement, or even as
to how they interact with other factors in predicting outcomes. Yes, amazing results can be achieved which will
bring about justice and change in our society. If this standardization be met, then it is time to arise and work
on advancing human civilization by means of meritocracy.
Questions to be discussed:
1. Do you agree to the fact that a society in order to progress need to practice meritocracy? Why or why not?
2. Will people benefit from meritocracy? How?
3. At present, is meritocracy prevalent? Explain your answer.
4. Given the chance to choose would you go for a meritocratic or a non-meritocratic society? Why?
5. Can meritocracy be practiced in your country? Justify your answer.