> My argument stemmed only from your, to me previously unfamiliar, definition of merit... > What distinction would you make between the terms democracy and meri

> My argument stemmed only from your, to me previously unfamiliar, definition of merit... > What distinction would you make between the terms democracy and meritocracy? Are they functionally the same under your definition of merit? I don't think I'm using "merit" in an unusual way. I think you'd agree that the specific criteria that constitutes "merit" depends on the nature of the job. You use different criteria for NFL players versus college professors. I think the problem is that we're talking about political appointees, which because of the nature of democracy are very different from other kinds of jobs. In the political context, "merit" is a meta concept that depends on what the voters prioritize. In some contexts, voters want a traditionally credentialed person. This is true even in the Trump administration: Scott Bessent is a Yale graduate hedge fund manager. But in other areas, Trump voters have grown to distrust the institutions, like the medical establishment and the intelligence services, and "merit" in that context means someone that will upend those agencies.