Goodhart’s Law and The Meritocratic Illusion

Talking about merit and meritocracy is not simple and it is intellectually risky. The reason is clear. If we stay at a superficial level of analysis, the issue seems clear and indisputable. However, limiting oneself to observing the surface of phenomena is never a good intellectual practice. If there was the courage and willingness to go beyond mere common sense and bar chatter, one would realize that the issue of merit and meritocracy is much more complex and ambiguous than one might think and requires in-depth analysis, qualifications, and distinctions. Once the superficial layer is broken, one realizes how complicated, obscure, and controversial the issue is, finally understanding how debatable it is to make meritocracy the main ally of the policymaker, both in ethical and efficiency terms.