Chikuma Shinsho series Boso suru Noryoku-Shugi (Runaway Meritocracy: Pathology of education and contemporary society)

This book is an attempt to explain the state of meritocracy in late modern society (i.e., contemporary society) based on the concept of the “reflexivity of meritocracy,” which was proposed by the author in a previous study.
 
The reflexivity of meritocracy refers to a meritocracy’s inherent self-reflexivity. Although our society has, in principle, accepted the differential treatment of people according to their abilities, it is not always easy to practically measure ability (proposition 1). However, since society will not function appropriately if ability is not measured in some manner, we, as a society, decide that “ability has been measured” using the measurements obtained by certain procedures (proposition 2). However, since this is merely a social construct, it is always doubtful whether these measurement methods are valid or not. This thought encourages the idea that, from the very outset, meritocracy incorporates constant self-reflexive re-questioning and criticism. This quality of meritocracy is the reflexivity of meritocracy (proposition 3).
 
Due to the increased access to higher education and informatization, the action of this reflexivity is more severe in contemporary society than in the past (proposition 4). As a result, indicators of ability such as academic grades and educational credentials, which were steadily relied on to measure ability in the past, have come under question as being outdated, and a string of theories related to “new abilities” (e.g. key competencies by OECD) have emerged (proposition 5). In contemporary society, such new ability theories are celebrated in a way that is detached from the actual state of the society.
 
However, these new ability theories are being commended on even amid the implementation of numerous system reforms, imposing an unnecessary burden on our society. It is noted that those of us alive today must dispassionately distance ourselves from and react calmly to this runaway state of meritocracy as far as possible.
 
The above discussion summarizes this book. It is noted that my motivation for writing this book is not to merely present the framework of my own research (the theory of the reflexivity of meritocracy) as an academic finding but to provide an easy-to-understand criticism on contemporary society, on which many readers can base similar criticisms. Various reactions to the publication of this book lead me to believe that this intention may have achieved some success (although the treatment of proposition 3 in Chapter 4 is technical, and some may find it difficult to understand). It is noted that I have received a particularly large number of sympathetic comments from those who are critical of the educational reforms implemented in present-day Japan.
 
Since the contemporary reform of education is not a movement confined to Japan, I also hope to spread awareness on the concept of the reflexivity of meritocracy overseas.
 

(Written by NAKAMURA Takayasu, Professor, Graduate School of Education / 2018)