The merit system (Vera Speaking)
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The merit system assumes that there is a solid definition of "best qualified," that there is an applicant who is the best qualified, that we can find that applicant, and that selecting that applicant yields important benefits for the employer, the customer, or society as a whole.

Is any of this true? I think these are open questions that should be answered before we assume that a merit system is an ideal or a right.

I'm not sure that it is either. My suspicion is that it is a fairly decent system that contains about as many hidden biases and problems as the alternatives.

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