The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern WorldThe Times (UK) book of the year! Meritocracy: the idea that people should be advanced according to their talents rather than their birth. While this initially seemed like a novel concept, by the end of the twentieth century it had become the world's ruling ideology. How did this happen, and why is meritocracy now under attack from both right and left? In The Aristocracy of Talent, esteemed journalist and historian Adrian Wooldridge traces the history of meritocracy forged by the politicians and officials who introduced the revolutionary principle of open competition, the psychologists who devised methods for measuring natural mental abilities, and the educationalists who built ladders of educational opportunity. He looks outside western cultures and shows what transformative effects it has had everywhere it has been adopted, especially once women were brought into the meritocratic system. Wooldridge also shows how meritocracy has now become corrupted and argues that the recent stalling of social mobility is the result of failure to complete the meritocratic revolution. Rather than abandoning meritocracy, he says, we should call for its renewal. |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - thcson - LibraryThingThis book demonstrates how selection by merit stands opposed to selection by family ties, status and wealth on many fronts. I particularly liked the first historical chapters where the author explains ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - Tom.Wilson - LibraryThingA beautifully written history of the modern world of the last five hundred years as filtered through the lens of meritocracy as a way of organising society. Wooldridge writes with much more joie de ... Read full review
Contents
Family Power | |
Nepotism Patronage Venality | |
Plato and the Philosopher Kings | |
China and the Examination State | |
The Chosen People | |
The Golden Ladder | |
Europe and the Career Open to Talent | |
Britain and the Intellectual Aristocracy | |
The United States and the Republic of Merit | |
The Measurement of Merit | |
The Meritocratic Revolution | |
Girly Swots | |
Other editions - View all
The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World Adrian Wooldridge No preview available - 2021 |
The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World Adrian Wooldridge No preview available - 2021 |
The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World Adrian Wooldridge No preview available - 2021 |
Common terms and phrases
ability academic allowed American argued aristocracy became become believed Britain British called Cambridge cent century China cities civil College common companies competition created culture democracy economic elite equality established examinations example fact forced given giving global Harvard History human idea important individual institutions intellectual intelligence Italy Jews John king Labour leading learning liberal lives London look means measure merit meritocracy mind mobility natural needed opportunity Oxford parents particularly Party person philosopher political position principle privilege problem produced question race reason reform Republic rich rise rule scholarship schools selection social society success talent tests things turned United University women York young
Bibliographic information
| Title | The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World |
| Author | Adrian Wooldridge |
| Publisher | Simon and Schuster, 2021 |
| ISBN | 1510768629, 9781510768628 |
| Length | 464 pages |
| Subjects | › › Political Science / Labor & Industrial Relations Political Science / Political Economy Political Science / Public Policy / Economic Policy |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |