Comments on: Meritocracy

By: Joseph Marshall

Joseph Marshall — Fri, 13 Aug 2004 13:03:47 +0000

No one knows what someone else "deserves" and the thought that you do is the essence of spiritual pride. The end of life is not the "good of society" for we are not bees, destined to be workers or drones and subject to a queen.

By: Nathan

Nathan — Thu, 12 Aug 2004 22:57:24 +0000

Boyd and Prof.Chaos, You are missing one vital aspect of this, as well: distribution. A linebacker of Ray Lewis caliber didn't make that much money in the 50s, when NFL wasn't on TV as much and didn't have as many viewers when it was on. Cable TV and worldwide fandom has increased the revenue stream to professional football, and he gets his share. I'd bet that the revenue stream toward education is far larger than that of the NFL...but you have many more people who need their share of the pie. Another way to look at it: each person probably pays far more for education than they spend on a 50 Cent CD, but he's (just one artist) selling millions of them. That's one reason for the growing gap between the "rich" and the "poor": the rich, like Bill Gates, sit at the top of a very broad chain of distribution, and those little bits of a penny add up.

By: American Cuban in Miami

American Cuban in Miami — Thu, 12 Aug 2004 19:26:57 +0000

When I read articles like this I get very astonished that these type of thoughts even exist and that people actually spend hours thinking these things and then I remember something important I once learned

"There is a theory which states that if anyone discovers just exactly what the universe is for and why we are here, that it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. Then there is a theory which states that this has already happened"

By: Attila Girl

Attila Girl — Thu, 12 Aug 2004 18:54:15 +0000

Money is important, but so are a bunch of other things in life.

By: Professor Chaos

Professor Chaos — Thu, 12 Aug 2004 17:27:39 +0000

Boyd: You're absolutely right. I guess what I'm wrestling with is whether the market can measure merit (defined in some way that reflects societal good). Given that ignorance is a virtue in our society, it seems not. I'm not so much bitter about it as I am perplexed and saddened.

No, I'm bitter.

By: Boyd

Boyd — Thu, 12 Aug 2004 16:31:44 +0000

Professors, you're discussing the quality of the product, which is subjective, and leads to a, at best, skewed perspective.

In the broad marketplace of ideas, more people want(ed) to pay more money to Ray Lewis, 50 Cent, et al, than they want to pay a teacher. It's that simple.

By: Professor Chaos

Professor Chaos — Thu, 12 Aug 2004 16:04:59 +0000

Aren't you confusing fame with impact? Sure, entertainers take us away from our problems for a short time, but what is the lasting positive effect on individuals or society (micro or macro)? On the micro level, the hundreds or thousands of students you saw should have left your courses as better citizens, which obviously is supposed to help society at large. What is the corresponding micro or macro benefit from a football game or a crappy rap CD? Individual and mass escapism?

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Thu, 12 Aug 2004 15:06:15 +0000

PC: While I'd argue that "education" is more valuable than "entertainment" at an aggregate level, it's not necessarily true at the microeconomic level. As a professor, I affected perhaps 200-250 people a semester. Ray Lewis and 50 Cent affect tens of millions.

By: Professor Chaos

Professor Chaos — Thu, 12 Aug 2004 14:56:21 +0000

But to counter this notion that we "distribute rewards accordance to the benefits one produces for society," just ask yourself what difference you made as a professor versus what difference Ray Lewis makes, or the difference 50 Cent makes.

By that measure, I should have killed myself long ago because when measured financially my life contributes nothing to society.

By: McGehee

McGehee — Thu, 12 Aug 2004 14:36:18 +0000

so-called "self-made men" really don't deserve their station in life since the distribution of talents--including a penchant for hard work--are simply accidents of fate.

Oh. My. God.

I knew there were people who actually believe such things, but I was sure they were more likely to be found huddling inside refreigerator cartons or panhandling on street corners than writing popular weblogs like Yglesias.

(He is popular, isn't he? I mean, he gets quoted, and fisked, quite a lot...)