Hybrid | How (not) to Argue Against Meritocracy

Speaker: Lars Vinx, Professor of Jurisprudence (Cambridge)

Chair: George Letsas, Professor of Philosophy of Law (UCL Laws)

The ideal of meritocracy has recently come under considerable pressure in political theory. Critics of meritocracy like Michael Sandel and Daniel Markovits argue not merely that existing societies fail to live up to meritocratic standards. Like the sociologist Michael Young, who coined the term ‘meritocracy’ in the late 1950’s, Markovits and Sandel claim that a society that perfectly realizes the ideal of meritocracy would be a deeply unjust dystopia.

This paper argues that the ideal of meritocracy, however, can be understood in different ways. It distinguishes the different strands of meritocratic thinking and evaluates them separately so as to build a concept of meritocracy that is not vulnerable to the critical challenges which have been levelled against the meritocratic ideal.

Lars Vinx holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Toronto. Lars has been a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute and worked for ten years in the Department of Philosophy at Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey. He is now a Professor of Jurisprudence in the Faculty of Law. Lars’s research focuses on legal, political constitutional theory, with a focus on the political and legal theories of Hans Kelsen and Carl Schmitt.

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Throughout 2026, UCL will host a vibrant programme of events and activities celebrating our founding values, our global impact, our communities, and our vision for the future. Visit the UCL200 website to explore the full programme and learn how you can get involved.

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