Agree completely. It was a joke that referenced a company value not some guarantee about how the world works. Despite the unfortunate origins of the word merito

Agree completely. It was a joke that referenced a company value not some guarantee about how the world works. Despite the unfortunate origins of the word meritocracy, the concept is ancient[1] and was always more of a goal than a practical system. What is strange to me it the feminist philosophy has rather recently turned against the concept[2]. As best I can tell this seems to be to discount "merit" as a defense against sexism. I'm fascinated by the ability of political identity to shape understanding. It seems almost impossible to resist arguments that advance our goals or grok those that undermine them. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meritocracy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meritocracy [2] http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Meritocracy http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Meritocracy