That’s only if you see positions in society as rewards. Then it’s easy to get upset about wealthy and privileged people lining their pockets and filling their b

That’s only if you see positions in society as rewards. Then it’s easy to get upset about wealthy and privileged people lining their pockets and filling their board seats with friends and family. If, on the other hand, you see positions as responsibilities then it’s much more straightforward to evaluate a meritocracy. On the one hand, we could be outraged that the king put his favourite nephew in charge of the army. On the other hand, we ask: is the nephew actually a capable commander? During peace time we can quibble over wealth and privilege but during a war I want the best commander to lead and protect us. This characterization naturally extends to plenty of less urgent, but no less important positions. Do you care about how wealthy and privileged your heart surgeon is? Or only how skilled they are?