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> There's this characiture of American culture and the idea of our meritocracy

But earlier

> if I work hard and have a little luck, I'll get by. A little more luck and I'll be successful. A little less, and I might need to rely on my family or community.

This isn't a meritocracy that you are describing

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Sure it is. Hard work weights probability in your favour and gives you more opportunities. Surely that's the best anyone can ever hope for? Do you have a system in mind that makes guarantees?

Right. Successful people make their own luck.

A meritocracy isn't about guarantees, other than ranking is by performance not externalities. By most definitions, a meritocracy is impractical, granted. In a real-world sense, the socio-economic status of every individual on earth is primarily governed by luck/circumstance. Not to say there aren't exceptions, but there has to be an inordinate amount of "merit" AND luck to overcome the initial state, statistically. To whit, a human lifetime is more complex and complicated to navigate, than the 3 body problem.

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