Ethics and : The Meritocracy Thesis

Psychology at the Cutting Edge: An invited article

Ethics and Psychology: The Meritocracy Thesis

James R. Flynn, University of Otago

If we take for granted as common knowledge that a just and well-ordered a real-word scenario. To rank everyone society is impossible, then the quality and tone of those discussions will by genes for talent, a competition must be such that all actors are motivated to reflect that knowledge. (John Rawls, speaking to Joshua Cohen, 1995) the maximum degree and compete on oral philosophy and psychology a self-perpetuating genetic dump, too an equal footing Msuffer if pursued in isolation from stupid to be of use in the modern word, Imagine a boarding school at which one another. I read brain physiology an underclass underemployed, criminal, all cash must be earned by how well when I try to clarify the concept of free and prone to drugs and illegitimacy. you do in the annual cross-country will, Jensen missed the implications race. Everyone gets an equal chance; of his work for blacks because he all are provided with the same excellent In fact, the trends so confidently misunderstood the fact/value dichotomy, coaching, health care, diet, and so forth. predicted do not seem to be occurring. and every utopia makes assumptions But the stakes are high: if you win, you In America, Flynn (2000) found that the about “human nature”. Perhaps the best get cash enough to meet all your needs historic value (from 1932 on) for the way to demonstrate interdependence with ample pocket money left over. If mean IQ of the children of the lower is to choose an example from moral you are last, you starve unless your third of parents (on the occupational debate. What with the sound and fury classmates are willing to sustain you by hierarchy) has remained stable at of race, critics of (1994) private charity. 95. Strenze (2007) summarizes four ignored its main challenge, perhaps recent studies. He also observes that I have little doubt that all would because it was too hope-destructive to America seems static and if anything, the train and try for the annual race to their face. I refer to the meritocracy thesis. association between IQ and occupational utmost and that the results would rank That thesis does nothing less than status in England has been declining. everyone pretty well for their genes contend that humane-egalitarian ideals for distance running ability. However, self-destruct in practice. But there is cold comfort in this. note why its draconian sanctions are The rebuttal will be that this just shows necessary. The system creates enormous Abandon all hope how little the liberal left has done to tension between what society forces you equalize environments. We would The meritocracy thesis: (1) to do and what you ideally want to do. have to pray for eternal failure: every Assume we make progress toward Those who prefer chess, or the literary success would be a step along a road, not the equalization of environments -- to magazine, or even other sports, will have toward a society we admire, but toward the degree that occurs, all remaining to sacrifice these to hours and hours of one we would loathe. Whatever ideal talent differences between people training for something many of them the thousands that laid down their lives will be due to differences in genes for loathe. The school is really a bastard for social reform or the defense of the talent; (2) Assume we make progress meritocracy because of all the human republic may have had, it was not this: toward abolition of privilege -- to excellences it sacrifices on the altar of a class system frozen into a caste system the degree that occurs, there will be its competitive ideal. by genes for merit highly correlated with a social mobility that brings all of social status. Let us chip away at the sanctions a the good genes to the top and allows bit. The stakes of the race are altered all bad genes to sink to the bottom; so that everyone gets the quality of The degeneration of the (3) Therefore, the upper classes will environment from year to year needed school race become a genetic elite whose children Note: The title for this article is adapted with permission from: inherit their status because of superior The meritocracy model is under- James R. Flynn, Where have all the liberals gone: race, class, and ideals in America. Cambridge University Press (2008) merit, while the lower classes become identified, that is, it is not grounded in

New Zealand Journal of Psychology Vol. 38, No. 3, 2009 • 6 • James R. Flynn to maximize performance. After all, with a non-demoralized home, good diet, The degree to which people will should the bad performance of a single good health, good education. The notion settle for Carthage rather than Athens year doom you to failure the following that a meritocracy of any sort could lead will fluctuate with their psychology year? So now we have a welfare state to an underclass is absurd, unless the and the economy. If most people live that gives everyone the coaching, food, "meritocracy" is to be a shooting star in poverty, they will readily compromise lodging, medical care, they need to that persists for one generation. what they really want to do. They compete on an equal footing. All that will also have little use for justice as is now at sake is whether you get ample The existential tension fairness. In a third world country, you or no pocket money. Even this might How a people deal with the tension treasure any privileged position that be enough to sustain near maximum created by the mismatch between what you can get and maximize its benefits training and effort. But now assume others are willing to pay you to do and for your family by way of "corruption". you can get some, though much less, what would realize your own unique Even after a society has its first taste of pocket money by excelling in other potential is the measure of the worth affluence (practically no pocket money activities more to the taste of many: of their society. Aristotle compared up to now), for a generation or two, chess, algebra, the school paper, the Athens and Carthage, partially no doubt most may well seek to maximize their poetry society, shop, other sports. Few as ideal types. Athens was a true polis spending power. will now do the full Lydiard schedule of with a cherished way of life, rich in running 100 miles per week. its variety of amusements, ceremony, The true meritocracy Moreover, every individual sport, philosophy, art, theater, and truth After awhile people become who does not lowers the quality of seeking, united by the kind of fellow accustomed to affluence. Then, unless performance needed to equal the average feeling so that any citizen's inability to you are a sick society infected by time in the race. And when that happens, participate in that way of life was an materialism, the money intoxication some will find they can do pretty well affront to all. Many tried to walk their wears off and the school race will be by training only a few miles a week, own path despite a mismatch between modified in the direction of a better which will further lower the average that and what the market rewarded society. Most people will be happy with performance, which will further lower (Socrates for one). a decent income, and allocate time to the training you need to do to be average, Carthage was a commercial pursue those interests, whether history in a downward spiral. The school race society (Kipling called it a sort of God- or philosophy, or arts and crafts, or sport, has degenerated in the sense that it no forsaken African Manchester) where whatever they feel brings out the best longer ranks people very well even for the mismatch was minimized by money in them. They will want a welfare state genes for running ability. love. People were socialized not to that gives all a decent life irrespective want to do anything that the market of "merit". They will prefer a job that Some lessons did not reward. They enjoyed the art, maximizes overlap with what you want (1) Competition for money must theatre, and so forth that they did not to do rather than a job that maximizes include a robust welfare state or it is not produce by being mere spectators, or income. Not bad from a humane- fair; (2) Money rewards create a tension consumers who bought it as a product. egalitarian point of view! between what society wants and what Their social glue was so weak that their If the intoxication with money I want to do to realize my own chosen navy once went on strike for higher never wears off, this does not show that excellence; (3) Unless the penalties wages when faced by an enemy fleet humane ideals are counter-productive for not acceding to what society wants bent on invasion. Like all money and in practice. It means that something at are draconian (and they cannot be if status obsessed peoples, the successful their very core has been omitted: you do the competition is to be fair), it will fall were not much interested in having not sell your soul for money. In other short of a even a bastard meritocracy. money taken out of their pockets so the words, if Carthaginians get a bastard It will not achieve a perfect ranking of children of the less successful could meritocracy, they deserve nothing genes even for the talents it rewards. enjoy justice as fairness or equalized less. And remember, even to get that, The less draconian the penalties, the environments. When an underclass they must be justice drunk as well as more sane people will be inclined to threatened to develop, they sent them money drunk. Otherwise the school pursue other talents and build a true off as a colonizing expedition. race would deviate so far from fairness meritocracy. One of the oddest features of that it would degenerate as a measure of the meritocracy of the Bell Curve is genes for "talent" to the vanishing point. Keeping the competition fair this: it assumes people so dedicated Athenians will get something far better: A robust welfare state is not a to the school race (maximization of the boarding school after obsession with gratuitous boon but the very soul of any market rewards) that the race ranks the school race has waned and a welfare meritocracy. If environments are to be them by genes for talent. Yet they state introduced. even roughly equal, the sins of the parent are so non-materialistic that they are must not blight the lives of the children, willing to see huge transfer payment A dialectical analysis which means that the lack of merit of the to the disadvantaged so as to equalize First, assume a fiction: a former must be ignored to the degree environments. A people both money “benevolent” market that offers a perfect that is necessary to provide every child drunk and justice drunk is rare. match between what other people want

• 7 • New Zealand Journal of Psychology Vol. 38, No. 3, 2009 Ethics and Psychology: The Meritocracy Thesis to pay you for doing and what you want really mean greater income differences? What we are worth to do in order to follow your own star. Ceci and Williams (1997) have pointed To object that transfers of wealth Admittedly, the money you get from out that if America really attained a will leave some people paid less than the market will tend to be a function state of affairs where only IQ affected they are worth is a kind of blasphemy. of how well you do it, and that will income differences, it would be the What people are worth is known only reflect your talent. But there will be a most egalitarian nation on earth. Other to God or, for unbelievers, only if we thousand different hierarchies of talent; sources of income variance greatly can access the self-knowledge vanity and all will be valued for their human expand the spectrum of incomes. hides deep below the level of normal qualities; and there will be a general However, much of the non-IQ caused consciousness. As Tawney (1920) says, willingness to see wealth redistributed to variance may be due to chance factors if a person has the opportunity to perfect compensate those who are less talented; difficult to eliminate. If these remain in their talents and enough money to allow and therefore, all will have a decent life existence, and IQ increases its potency them to do that properly, they have all irrespective of talent to differentiate income, then the income of the happiness that is good for any of Second, assume a "wicked" market. spectrum must expand. Moreover, as the children of Adam. Even though there is a tension between we evolve to a more complex society, market rewards and cultivation of IQ-related skills might be more and more at a premium and therefore, each individual excellences, as affluence References grows, the members of an uncorrupted point of IQ might be worth more and Ceci, S. J., & Williams, W.M. (1997). polis will compromise less and less in more money. Schooling, , and income. favor of market rewards. Since this is American Psychologist, 52, 1051-1058. possible without want, the tension is no So what? Flynn, J. R. (2000). IQ trends over time: longer very important. Assuming that these trends actually intelligence, race, and meritocracy. In occur, what is their human significance? K. Arrow, S. Bowles, & S. Durlauf (eds.), The IQ prognosis If we find a huge income spectrum Meritocracy and economic inequality. The above ignores a prediction of obnoxious, we should not be hypnotized Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press the Bell Curve: that as environments by the fact that IQ has become somewhat (pp. 35-60). tend to equalize and privilege recedes, more important as a causal factor. We Flynn, J. R. (2008). Where have all the the offspring of the upper and lower still have the usual techniques for liberals gone? Race, class, and ideals in classes will tend to diverge further redistribution of wealth at our disposal: America. Cambridge University Press. and further in terms of their mean IQs. progressive taxation, progressive Herrnstein, R. J., & Murray, C. (1994). Keep in mind that if such a trend is to inheritance taxes, and the equalizing The bell curve: Intelligence and class structure in American life. New York: be significant, America will have to do platform of the welfare state. The Free Press. what it has never done: institute a robust How much IQ is a true index of welfare state. merit is irrelevant in human terms. Strenze, T. (2007). Intelligence and economic success: A meta-analytic review of If environments really do become Even if every hierarchy of talent was longitudinal research. Intelligence, 35, radically more equal, the first result perfectly correlated with IQ, even if 401-426. there was a high correlation between will be that the environmental portion Tawney, R. H. (1920). The acquisitive of IQ variance would diminish. So the artistic creativity, musical talent, athletic society. New York: Harcourt, Brace, total spectrum that separates the top and ability, carpentry, sociability, good & Howe. bottom performance on IQ tests would character (none of which is true by way), diminish as well. the only thing Athenians care about is how much the market rewards their However, this could be offset by personal path to excellence. IQ is no Corresponding Author: a tendency towards assortive mating. more than the middle term of the match. James Flynn Segregation of young Americans EITHER the market rewards IQ and IQ Department of Psychology by education may be producing a correlates highly with all excellences, so heightened tendency for like to mate University of Otago the market rewards all excellences. OR with like. If most children were the PO Box 56 the market rewards IQ and IQ correlates offspring of either high-IQ/high-IQ badly with certain excellences, so there , parents or low-IQ/low-IQ parents, with is a mismatch between market rewards New Zealand few high-IQ/low-IQ offspring as a and the excellences most people want moderator, this would enlarge the total [email protected] to cultivate. IQ test performance spectrum. The tension or lack of tension is Assume privilege gives way to the significant thing. Imagine we had social mobility. That plus the trend to never invented IQ tests and did not know greater environmental equality would about its causal role. What difference increase the correlation between the would that make to how much we resent income and IQ of parents (and the IQ © This material is copyright to the New Zealand these tensions or how we ought to deal Psychological Society. Publication does not of their offspring). But would this with them? necessarily reflect the views of the Society.

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