“Notwithstanding the extravagance of some of their characters, these nineteenth-century novelists describe a world in which inequality was to a certain extent necessary: if there had not been a sufficiently wealthy minority, no one would have been able to worry about anything other than survival. This view of inequality deserves credit for not describing itself as meritocratic, if nothing else. In a sense, a minority was chosen to live on behalf of everyone else, but no one tried to pretend that this minority was more meritorious or virtuous than the rest. … Modern meritocratic society, especially in the United States, is much harder on the losers, because it seeks to justify domination on the ground of justice, virtue, and merit, to say nothing of the insufficient productivity of those at the bottom.”
Quote by Thomas Piketty
Author
Thomas Piketty
Thomas Piketty is a renowned French economist born on May 7, 1971. His research focuses on income and wealth inequality, economic growth, and capital accumulation. Piketty is known for his in-depth studies on inequality and his influential book 'Capital in the Twenty-First Century' has had a global impact. more
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