Meritocracy under scrutiny: Towards a cooperative society

Abstract

The paper evaluates meritocracy in terms of social justice and proposes an alternative that preserves the pros and overcomes the cons. First, I distinguish merit from desert, and I define the role of the latter in the rationale of a meritocratic system. Then, I analyze three conceptions of meritocracy depending on the source of people’s desert. Among them, I select the best justified one, and I explore its pros and cons. As an alternative, I advocate for the ideal of a cooperative society, and I discuss the dimensions of equality nestled in that ideal. Also, I develop how a cooperative society fulfills the pros of meritocracy, but avoids the cons. The epilogue gathers the liberal egalitarian tradition in which the paper is framed.