Unfortunately, I think this concept is totally lost on inexperienced disciples of Rand. An understanding of the world and its historical development is a perfect cautionary tale as to why purely "meritocratic" systems will never produce anything of lasting value.
The industrial revolution was bankrolled by extreme government spending at draconian (compared to present) tax rates during the World Wars. Every technological and scientific breakthrough of the last hundred years was bankrolled by the state either directly or indirectly. This fact is lost on a generation that takes all of this for granted, because they naively believe that progress is the natural state of civilization.
Today, a president like Eisenhower would be called a hopeless bleeding heart liberal. Who cares that the USA became a dominant scientific, technological and economic powerhouse under administrations like his?
History is the best teacher. Personally, I will watch the disintegration of these naive "meritocratic" policies with great interest in the coming years. Who needs public investment in infrastructure, science or healthcare?
The industrial revolution was bankrolled by extreme government spending at draconian (compared to present) tax rates during the World Wars. Every technological and scientific breakthrough of the last hundred years was bankrolled by the state either directly or indirectly. This fact is lost on a generation that takes all of this for granted, because they naively believe that progress is the natural state of civilization.
Today, a president like Eisenhower would be called a hopeless bleeding heart liberal. Who cares that the USA became a dominant scientific, technological and economic powerhouse under administrations like his?
History is the best teacher. Personally, I will watch the disintegration of these naive "meritocratic" policies with great interest in the coming years. Who needs public investment in infrastructure, science or healthcare?