While I agree with most of your post, I am not sure this: > Typical human behavior is to want compensation proportional to productivity and to live in a system

While I agree with most of your post, I am not sure this: > Typical human behavior is to want compensation proportional to productivity and to live in a system that allows this. is entirely true. I think humans want "fairness" and in many ways it's different than raw productivity. Two main problems I see: 1. Other things than people (usually called capital) have productivity on its own (unless you believe in labor theory of value, which leads to logical contradictions). If you are paid for your productivity, you are not paid for the excess, things produced by the capital. For example, a new automation is invented which makes you more productive, but you now do less work. How should the surplus be distributed? In fact, I am of opinion that if I would be paid for my actual productivity (my contribution to it as a human being in contrast to contribution by machines and know-how) in modern society, I would be homeless next month. Yet, here I have an above average salary (maybe even global 1%). 2. Totally meritocratic system (say efficient free market, if such thing exists), even if we deal with the above problem, lacks one important things that humans have - forgiveness. Sometimes disasters happen or people are just plain stupid. Without forgiveness or outside help, a single disaster like that can affect you for life. So I don't think "meritocracy based on productivity only" is a desirable system and I am sure I am not alone.