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The Ivy League meritocracy has deepened inequality and division, prioritizing intelligence over other vital traits. It must be reformed for a more inclusive and effective elite.

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The Ivy League meritocracy has deepened inequality and division, prioritizing intelligence over other vital traits. It must be reformed for a more inclusive and effective elite.

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Meritocracy has fueled political and cultural polarization.

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Meritocracy has fueled political and cultural polarization.

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College-educated and non-college-educated Americans live in different social and professional worlds. Brooks stresses how the fragmentation of social domains into separate, self-reinforcing groups breeds resentment, mistrust and a lack of empathy and experience among groups. The spatial separation is not just occupational; it affects the ways people construct their identities, their communities, their values and therefore how they align politically and what political discourse looks like.

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College-educated and non-college-educated Americans live in different social and professional worlds. Brooks stresses how the fragmentation of social domains into separate, self-reinforcing groups breeds resentment, mistrust and a lack of empathy and experience among groups. The spatial separation is not just occupational; it affects the ways people construct their identities, their communities, their values and therefore how they align politically and what political discourse looks like.

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Progressive ideas, which are more common among the educated elite, thus serve as a mark of elite belonging — which has the effect of alienating those outside of that elite. This breeds resentment and heightens political polarization. The factual basis is in the changing face of the electorate, which has seen populist candidates like Donald Trump and Marine Le Pen do well among less-educated voters willing to vent exasperation against perceived elitism.

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Progressive ideas, which are more common among the educated elite, thus serve as a mark of elite belonging — which has the effect of alienating those outside of that elite. This breeds resentment and heightens political polarization. The factual basis is in the changing face of the electorate, which has seen populist candidates like Donald Trump and Marine Le Pen do well among less-educated voters willing to vent exasperation against perceived elitism.

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Meritocracy has reinforced economic and social inequality instead of reducing it.

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Meritocracy has reinforced economic and social inequality instead of reducing it.

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Students from the top 1%, economically, are far more likely to go to Ivy League schools than those from lower-income families. This stark disparity matters because it shows that wealth undermines meritocratic ideals of equal opportunity. Elite education, designed to function as a meritocratic leveler, has become a way paradoxically to entrench social hierarchy.

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Students from the top 1%, economically, are far more likely to go to Ivy League schools than those from lower-income families. This stark disparity matters because it shows that wealth undermines meritocratic ideals of equal opportunity. Elite education, designed to function as a meritocratic leveler, has become a way paradoxically to entrench social hierarchy.

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More students from the richest socioeconomic quintile are admitted to elite universities than from the majority of lower-income quintiles combined. This dynamic further illustrates that elite universities are working less as engines of social mobility and more as barriers to privilege. Brooks says this is not just an economic problem, but a social one because it creates a self-perpetuating elite that is cut off from the concerns and struggles of the rest of society.

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More students from the richest socioeconomic quintile are admitted to elite universities than from the majority of lower-income quintiles combined. This dynamic further illustrates that elite universities are working less as engines of social mobility and more as barriers to privilege. Brooks says this is not just an economic problem, but a social one because it creates a self-perpetuating elite that is cut off from the concerns and struggles of the rest of society.

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The system overvalues intelligence and academic success while ignoring other essential qualities.

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The system overvalues intelligence and academic success while ignoring other essential qualities.

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More students from the richest socioeconomic quintile are admitted to elite universities than from the majority of lower-income quintiles combined. This dynamic further illustrates that elite universities are working less as engines of social mobility and more as barriers to privilege. Brooks says this is not just an economic problem, but a social one because it creates a self-perpetuating elite that is cut off from the concerns and struggles of the rest of society.

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More students from the richest socioeconomic quintile are admitted to elite universities than from the majority of lower-income quintiles combined. This dynamic further illustrates that elite universities are working less as engines of social mobility and more as barriers to privilege. Brooks says this is not just an economic problem, but a social one because it creates a self-perpetuating elite that is cut off from the concerns and struggles of the rest of society.

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Research continues to show that skills like social intelligence, adaptability, and curiosity are more telling predictors of strong leadership, creativity, and innovation. Brooks maintains that the meritocratic system's failure to value these skills backfires on society as a whole, as we end up with leaders who are ill-prepared to grapple with real-world complexity and crises.

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Research continues to show that skills like social intelligence, adaptability, and curiosity are more telling predictors of strong leadership, creativity, and innovation. Brooks maintains that the meritocratic system's failure to value these skills backfires on society as a whole, as we end up with leaders who are ill-prepared to grapple with real-world complexity and crises.

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Standardized tests and academic metrics are necessary for fairness.

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Standardized tests and academic metrics are necessary for fairness.

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Meritocracy has created a smarter and more diverse elite.

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Meritocracy has created a smarter and more diverse elite.

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Supporters claim that standardized tests like the SAT objectively measure talent and prevent favoritism in admissions.

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Supporters claim that standardized tests like the SAT objectively measure talent and prevent favoritism in admissions.

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Rebuttal: Standardized tests mostly reflect economic privilege, as wealthy families can afford tutoring and preparation, giving them a massive advantage. (Fact: Higher-income students score significantly higher on the SAT.)

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Rebuttal: Standardized tests mostly reflect economic privilege, as wealthy families can afford tutoring and preparation, giving them a massive advantage. (Fact: Higher-income students score significantly higher on the SAT.)

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Rebuttal: Intelligence alone does not guarantee effective leadership—despite this “smarter” elite, we’ve seen government failures, financial crises, and social division. (Example: Vietnam, Iraq, 2008 financial crisis.) 

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Rebuttal: Intelligence alone does not guarantee effective leadership—despite this “smarter” elite, we’ve seen government failures, financial crises, and social division. (Example: Vietnam, Iraq, 2008 financial crisis.) 

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Some argue that today’s leadership class is better educated and more diverse than before, proving that the system works.

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Some argue that today’s leadership class is better educated and more diverse than before, proving that the system works.