A belief in meritocracy is not only false: it’s bad for you

"You are a product of your environment" --Clement Stone

https://news.osu.edu/intrinsic-motivation-doesnt-exist-resea...

http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/12/02_corte...

> Although widely held, the belief that merit rather than luck determines success or failure in the world is demonstrably false. This is not least because merit itself is, in large part, the result of luck.

The problem is that, if people really acted with this knowledge, their motivation would be greatly diminished. Some fictions are useful.