"Those aren't mutually exclusive and neither is their inverse." They certainly aren't in general, but in a meritocracy they are. A meritocracy, almost by defi

"Those aren't mutually exclusive and neither is their inverse." They certainly aren't in general, but in a meritocracy they are. A meritocracy, almost by definition, assigns more value (and therefore dignity) to those who are more capable. I think the author is arguing for an environment where they are no longer mutually exclusive. "The author's mistake is in thinking that you can give someone dignity by treating them as more capable than they actually are." I think the author is saying that dignity should not be tied to how capable a person is.