Equality of Opportunity

Mary Chapin Carpenter: The Age Of Miracles 

The mountains above us.

Paraphrasing Ezra Klein*: Right-wingers and libertarians often complain that liberals want equality of outcome, not equality of opportunity. But equality of outcome is far more possible than equality of opportunity. 

Anne and I were born to white parents, each of whom had a college degree. Our offspring was born to a healthy and brilliant Professor at Carnegie Mellon ... and me. (Can't win 'em all.) 

How can anyone, say, born in poverty to a single mother ever have equality of opportunity? 

Questions of free will aside, it simply isn't possible to think there ever could be equality of opportunity. 

None of us deserve anything, especially not credit for our achievements. It isn't us - it is all luck, starting with the ovarian lottery.

The best we can do is to set up the society we would want under the veil of ignorance. 

If you want more re: meritocracy, check out this 2019 summary of The Meritocracy Trap.

* Not recommending his recent Green-Party-esque badness.