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It'd be better if the author was in this thread responding, but I don't know if they have any relationship to the poster. I think the argument is probably: 0.

It'd be better if the author was in this thread responding, but I don't know if they have any relationship to the poster. I think the argument is probably: 0.) some people have been historically advantaged over each other for non-meritocratic reasons. 1.) one of the ways people have been advantaged is itself in the notability of their actions. [0]: http://listverse.com/2013/10/14/10-groundbreaking-women-scientists-written-off-by-history/ http://listverse.com/2013/10/14/10-groundbreaking-women-scie... [1]: http://io9.gizmodo.com/5077952/women-who-pretended-to-be-men-to-publish-scifi-books http://io9.gizmodo.com/5077952/women-who-pretended-to-be-men... [2]: https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324355904578159453918443978 https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324355904578159... [3]: https://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/are-female-scientists-hiding/ https://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/are-female-scientists-hi... 2.) Therefore, using notability as a prerequisite for inclusion perpetuates a non-meritocratic historical bias.

godshatter 9y ago
Is there any guarantee that getting rid of the notability criteria is going to result in a more meritocratic system? I doubt it myself. It might help some women or minorities that have been overlooked become more notable, but it also opens the floodgates for anyone to be notable, which sort of destroys the purpose.
- putsteadywere 9y ago
  I agree with everything you said, if you say "changes the purpose" rather than "destroys the purpose" - change/destruction being a value judgment, but a characterization I would make. I think the author would agree with you, and addresses this as well. To your question: "Is there any guarantee that getting rid of the notability criteria is going to result in a more meritocratic system?" I think that there are no guarantees in cultural changes, and the best way to be wrong about the outcomes of cultural change is to predict any outcome with certainty. That said, if uncertainty was a sufficient argument against cultural change, then we'd all be hunter/gatherers.

godshatter 9y ago

Is there any guarantee that getting rid of the notability criteria is going to result in a more meritocratic system? I doubt it myself. It might help some women or minorities that have been overlooked become more notable, but it also opens the floodgates for anyone to be notable, which sort of destroys the purpose.

putsteadywere 9y ago
I agree with everything you said, if you say "changes the purpose" rather than "destroys the purpose" - change/destruction being a value judgment, but a characterization I would make. I think the author would agree with you, and addresses this as well. To your question: "Is there any guarantee that getting rid of the notability criteria is going to result in a more meritocratic system?" I think that there are no guarantees in cultural changes, and the best way to be wrong about the outcomes of cultural change is to predict any outcome with certainty. That said, if uncertainty was a sufficient argument against cultural change, then we'd all be hunter/gatherers.