Two Schools of Thought on DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion)

What you think of DEI says a lot about your world view

To make sense of this newsletter, it is helpful to revisit meritocracy. This podcast with HBS Professor Tarun Khanna will be useful.

The term "meritocracy" was first coined by British sociologist Michael Young in his 1958 satirical essay, "The Rise of the Meritocracy." In this essay, Young provided a dystopian glimpse into a society in which individuals are selected and promoted based solely on their intelligence and abilities, arguing that this system will lead to a new form of class-based inequality where the most talented and intelligent individuals would rise to the top, leaving the less talented behind.

As a principle, meritocracy may find alignment with ideals of humanism, that individuals have the potential to improve themselves through education and hard work. During the Age of Enlightenment, thinkers like John Locke and Adam Smith argued in this line of thought, that individuals should be able to rise to the top based on their talents and hard work. 

While it seems reasonable, it also begs whether the opportunities to realize potential through hard work are equally distributed. 

Famous American Philosopher John Rawls believed that a merit-based society must be coupled with a strong social support system. In his work "A Theory of Justice," he argued that a just society must be organized in such a way that it benefits the least advantaged members of society. He called this principle the "difference principle," and advocated that the distribution of wealth and opportunities in society should be arranged to benefit the least advantaged members of society.

View #1 of DEI: The Oppressor-Oppressed Perspective