The Meritocracy Myth

Philosophics — Philosophical and Political Ramblings · Jul 22, 2026 · 18m

Language philosopher Bry Willis explores how the term meritocracy, originally coined as a satirical warning, has been repurposed into a tool for legitimising power. The author argues that society often uses the word to reason backwards, falsely assuming that the act of being selected for a role is definitive proof of an individual's underlying competence. This creates a circular logic where merit is not an objective measurement of skill but a relational label used to reward loyalty or exclude perceived enemies. By flattening complex human capacities into a single, arbitrary ranking, the…