Meritocracy

A meritocracy is a system of government where people who deserve can go up in rank, as opposed to a system like nepotism.

The philosopher Plato thought that this system of government was much better than democracy, because in democracy, there is no guarantee that you will get the best person, the most qualified person, ruling the state. His criticisms were really of Athenian (or direct) democracy, where anyone could be selected to rule.

Meritocracy guarantees that the people ruling will be the best people, which makes it sound like the best system, but lots of people have accused it of being elitist, saying that government by the best will mean that only those who have had the right opportunities will have a chance to govern, creating in effect a ruling class.

It is worth pointing out though, that Plato didn't see it this way. He believed that philosophers were the best people to rule because they had no interest in it. This sounds ridiculous, that the only people who should rule are people who don't want to, but Plato's point is this: if you want to rule, then it will go wrong, because power will corrupt you. If you are a philosopher, you don't care about power - all you care about is truth, so you will rule well, without being interested in your power or status.