Abstract

FRANCISCO, Andrés de. The inavoidable meritocracy. (Between indignation and compassion). Andamios [online]. 2022, vol.19, n.49, pp.287-307.  Epub June 05, 2023. ISSN 2594-1917.  https://doi.org/10.29092/uacm.v19i49.931.

Meritocracy as the ideal of a good society involves a dilemma: it is unavoidable and at the same time insufficient. Despite its inalienable normative core -anchored in the evolved human cognitive-emotional architecture- it has been a factor of ideological differentiation between left and right. The anti-capitalist left has ignored it (Marx) or fought it (Cohen), while the liberal egalitarian left (Rawls) has found a better reflective equilibrium, integrating the two meritocratic emotions of indignation and compassion. However, Sandel, detecting the problems of a toxic meritocracy linked to extreme inequality, proposes its “overcoming” through contributive justice and a politics of the common good, an alternative not without problems.

Keywords : Meritocracy; inequality; contributive justice; politics; market.