Four Difficulties in Meritocracy: An Educational Perspective

This study aim s to examine whether meritocracy, which is often taken for granted in contemporary education, can serve as a legitimate criterion for educational logic. The study identifies four theoretical or practical difficulties in forming and realizing meritocracy: (a) the difficulty of definition that arises from the inability to define a unified concept of merit; (b) the difficulty of measurement that arises from the lack of clarity on how to measure specific abilities and which abilities should be measured; (c) the difficulty of realization that stems from the difficulty in fully manifesting one’s abilities, especially as uncontrollable factors intervene in the outcomes of abilities; and (d) the difficulty of elimination by which, despite these difficulties, individuals tend to naturally regard the results of their actions as their own, defining their identity and attributing meaning to life by exercising their abilities. In light of these four challenges, this study examines both the arguments for and against meritocracy, positing that one educational approach to discussing meritocracy is a normative approach that examines the legitimacy of meritocracy through education. T his approach suggests creating a space for learning and communication that discusses the possibilities and limitations of meritocracy in light of the essential nature of education, rather than accepting meritocracy as an unquestionable supposition. The issues from the four identified difficulties particularly provide an opportunity to broadly consider the educational implications and impacts of meritocratic principles.