"History suggests that, all other things being equal, a society prospers in proportion to its ability to prevent parents from influencing their children's succe

"History suggests that, all other things being equal, a society prospers in proportion to its ability to prevent parents from influencing their children's success directly." I'm not sure I agree. Surely a lesson from the fall of Communism is that private property matters to the efficient functioning of an economy; and the value of most private property to most people is in their ability to transmit it to their heirs. Obviously there is a need for balance here. Too much inheritance and society loses all cohesion; too little, and society loses forward motion. (I'm deliberately ignoring any moral question about whether inheritance is unjust; this is purely about the pragmatic question of what creates the most wealth for the most people.) At a macro level, of course, we want the best person for the job. The best line in The Communist Manifesto, actually, is (this quote may not be precise) "to each according to his needs; from each according to his abilities." The hard part is knowing how to get there! Thank you for an interesting essay on a fundamental question.