I think this is a bit of a misnomer. The problem is not meritocracy. The problem is concentration of control within a fake meritocracy. This is the same problem that doomed the Soviet Union, and it exists to a lesser, but still serious extent, here in the United States.
As Hilaire Belloc wrote, control over the production of wealth is the control of life itself. When we give the rich control over the production of wealth because they are rich and can afford to fund capital, we disempower the majority. The answer is not socialism or communism, which try to solve the problems associated with such concentration through further concentrating that control. The answer is to back off and recognize that the division between capital and labor which has developed is an unhealthy one, that laborers should own their own means of production not collectively but individually and that the role for big capital should be as restrained as possible. As Chesterton said, "Too much capitalism does not mean too many capitalists, but too few."
And as I say "In these economic woes, jobs are the problem, not the solution."
One reason Open Source rocks is that it gives economic ownership to the means of production to every willing programmer and user. This is a value that cannot be measured economically. And open source works often according to a real meritocracy, where those who contribute the most and the best rise to the top, absent corporate control and marketing.
So it is my hope that we recognize it is not meritocracy that is the problem but rather the level of concentration of resources and control that has been achieved that is the problem. These are good reasons to support small businesses, bank with credit unions, become self-employed, and encourage others to do the same.
As Hilaire Belloc wrote, control over the production of wealth is the control of life itself. When we give the rich control over the production of wealth because they are rich and can afford to fund capital, we disempower the majority. The answer is not socialism or communism, which try to solve the problems associated with such concentration through further concentrating that control. The answer is to back off and recognize that the division between capital and labor which has developed is an unhealthy one, that laborers should own their own means of production not collectively but individually and that the role for big capital should be as restrained as possible. As Chesterton said, "Too much capitalism does not mean too many capitalists, but too few."
And as I say "In these economic woes, jobs are the problem, not the solution."
One reason Open Source rocks is that it gives economic ownership to the means of production to every willing programmer and user. This is a value that cannot be measured economically. And open source works often according to a real meritocracy, where those who contribute the most and the best rise to the top, absent corporate control and marketing.
So it is my hope that we recognize it is not meritocracy that is the problem but rather the level of concentration of resources and control that has been achieved that is the problem. These are good reasons to support small businesses, bank with credit unions, become self-employed, and encourage others to do the same.