The hottest Meritocracy Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways

Preemies, Genes, Meritocracy, and the Left

Freddie deBoer • 8689 implied HN points • 12 Feb 24

🎭️ Culture Meritocracy Parenting

Premature birth and low birth weight can lead to significant academic challenges, affecting cognitive and academic outcomes.
Acknowledging genetic influences on academic performance is controversial, but it's important to consider alongside environmental factors.
Our focus on academic success and meritocracy may need to shift to value a broader range of human qualities and contributions.

A Comeback For Merit In College Admissions

Persuasion • 1198 implied HN points • 09 Feb 24

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Education Diversity Equality Admissions Meritocracy

Some universities are bringing back standardized testing to make college admissions fairer.
Standardized tests like the SAT and ACT can be a leveler in college admissions.
Moves towards fairer college admissions include ending legacy advantage and racial preferences.

Good Schools or Good Genes?

ideassleepfuriously • 943 implied HN points • 06 Feb 24

🚌 Education Debate Social Mobility Schooling Meritocracy

Debate on grammar schools vs. comprehensives is rooted in egalitarianism vs. meritocracy.
Studies show grammar schools do not significantly improve student grades or social mobility compared to comprehensives.
Grammar school debate reflects underlying issues of classism and societal perceptions of education.

New study out: Systemic Racism Does Not Explain Variation in Race Gaps on Cognitive Tests

Just Emil Kirkegaard Things • 1513 implied HN points • 06 Jan 24

🔬 Science Racism Intelligence Data Analysis Meritocracy

Systemic racism theory predictions were not supported by the study results.
US counties with more Republicans had smaller racial gaps in cognitive tests.
Racial achievement gaps were smaller in counties with higher White population shares.

Affirmative Action: A Primer, & A Finger Exercise

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 315 implied HN points • 29 Feb 24

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Affirmative Action Meritocracy Inequality Social justice

In a society with structural racism, even a good meritocratic system can unfairly advantage privileged groups and disadvantage marginalized ones.
Meritocratic tests can also perpetuate structural racism, leading to unfair outcomes in job selection.
Choosing the best people for a job involves considering and addressing structural racism in both access to resources and the testing process.

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Meritocracy, elite overproduction, and a new ruling class

Not On Your Team, But Always Fair • 2004 implied HN points • 23 Jul 23

🚌 Education Innovation Higher education Meritocracy

Meritocracy can lead to a new ruling class that values academic achievements over other forms of innovation.
Higher education expansion has not necessarily led to a more skilled workforce or societal benefit.
Elite overproduction can fuel resentment and drive cultural and political tensions in society.

Diversity Goals Imply Quality Trade-Offs

Cremieux Recueil • 132 implied HN points • 18 Jan 24

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Diversity Affirmative Action Meritocracy Discrimination Legal system

Diversity goals can lead to compromising organizational operations and contradict the idea of rewarding based on contributions.
Affirmative action initiatives may end up favoring less talented individuals over more qualified candidates from minority populations.
Recruiting a highly talented and diverse workforce can be challenging due to the small number of gifted individuals from low-performing populations.

American Meritocracy Under Attack

Society & Standpoint • 786 implied HN points • 07 Jun 23

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Education Affirmative Action Meritocracy Race relations Public Schools

NYC's top public high schools' admissions highlight racial disparities.
Critics argue against considering Specialized High Schools' demographics as racial segregation.
NYC's Specialized High Schools are one of the last bastions of American meritocracy.

Regime Change, American Style

The Redneck Intellectual by C. Bradley Thompson • 452 implied HN points • 27 Jun 23

💾 History American Revolution Social Change Meritocracy

The American Revolution ushered in a new moral universe and a modern, liberal-capitalist society.
The transition from pre-revolutionary society to a new philosophy of Enlightenment liberalism was gradual but accelerated by the American Revolution.
Colonial America evolved from a status-based society to a meritocratic society following the American Revolution.

Different Scopes for Different Folks

Erik Torenberg's Thoughts • 455 implied HN points • 08 Apr 23

📖 Philosophy Morality Society Meritocracy

Our moral intuitions can lead us astray when it comes to communal versus systematic modes of living.
There is a need for a balance between tribalism in communities and capitalism in the economy.
Finding the balance between egalitarianism and meritocracy is a significant challenge for society.

What is Meritocracy For?

Gideon's Substack • 19 implied HN points • 16 Aug 23

📖 Philosophy Meritocracy Justice Ethics Elite

Meritocracy is about results, not justice or fairness
Meritocracy aims to select individuals based on skill and talent
Meritocracy can lead to elitism and insularity in society

I'll feel like a legitimate business owner when...

Mindset Mastery • 19 implied HN points • 10 Jul 23

💼 Business Self-employment Professionalism Meritocracy Skills Success

Feeling like a legitimate business owner involves having work come to you without needing to pitch.
Being able to comfortably pay quarterly taxes from work is a sign of being established as a business owner.
Opening up an LLC can help solidify your professional identity and legitimacy.

Maybe the problem is that Harvard exists

DYNOMIGHT INTERNET NEWSLETTER • 8 HN points • 10 Aug 23

🚌 Education Admissions Meritocracy Inequality

The concept of elite status or exclusive programs like Gold Elites is questioned in education
High-stakes college admissions can limit meritocracy and lead to unfair advantages
Gating mechanisms like college admissions should be questioned, especially if controlled by tax-exempt organizations

The Brutal Beauty of Baseball

I Might Be Wrong • 5 implied HN points • 16 Aug 23

🎾 Sports Baseball Performance evaluation Fairness Meritocracy Player development

In baseball, performance is meticulously tracked and players are fast-tracked or let go based on their stats.
Baseball's ruthless meritocracy can be seen as fair, ensuring the best players rise to the top.
The system of evaluating players in baseball has benefits and drawbacks, similar to real-world job evaluations.

Thoughts on high-stakes college admissions

DYNOMIGHT INTERNET NEWSLETTER • 2 HN points • 14 Aug 23

🚌 Education College Admissions Meritocracy Policy Changes

Critique high-stakes college admissions, but note its importance in landing top jobs.
Consider admissions at other universities beyond Ivy League for equality.
Explore different mechanisms like transferring students or standardized tests for hiring.

Christmas, Best-ofs, Sports Media, Meritocracy and More

Counting Atoms • 0 implied HN points • 13 Jan 24

🎭️ Culture Christmas Sports Media Meritocracy Art Music

The post shares various interesting links and articles on topics like Christmas, sports media, and meritocracy.
The writer is clearing out browser tabs and sharing thoughts on different articles and blog posts.
There are reflections on music, sports media, meritocracy arguments, and emotional dependence on celebrities in the post.

What Even Is Self-Governance?

the best of a great lot • 0 implied HN points • 05 Jun 23

📖 Philosophy Governance Democracy Leaders Meritocracy

Self-governance is not just about voting, but about how decisions are made and who they benefit.
In a meritocracy, only the most capable individuals are chosen to lead, creating a class divide and potential conflict of interest.
Self-governance is a spectrum, ranging from weak governance with selected leaders to strong governance where everyone can participate and decisions aim to benefit all.