Except that by definition, meritocracy creates a power dynamic which can be abused in this way. Those with "merit" are trusted and respected more than those without. This means that complaints about their behaviour are more often ignored or dismissed. And even when bad behaviour is too blatant to ignore, the punishment is often lesser, for fear of chasing away their "merit".
In theory, one could define "merit" in a way that recognises behaviour alongside technical contributions, but in practice that is rarely how the term is interpreted by tech communities.
A democratic system based on popularity share all those problems attributed to meritocracy. Those deemed popular are trusted and respected more than those without. complaints about their behaviour are more often ignored or dismissed. When bad behaviour is too blatant to ignore, the punishment is often lesser, for fear of loosing influence and power.
What I would like to know is if meritocracy has a higher risk of causing abuse compared to other systems.
Linus is an incredibly influential figure in tech, having written both Git and Linux. He has decided to work on his own behavior.
This could be a watershed event in that regard.
Linus' contribution is not just the code he commits, but his ability to organize and marshall developers. That ability is tied to his communication skills.
To the extent that his discourse drives skilled developers away, it is a detriment which is presumably why he is working on it. If it were to get extreme and he became unable to lead due to his toxicity, "meritocracy" would imply that he would step down or be removed.
And such dynamics should be acknowledged and opposed wherever they exist.
>Have some minimal set of rules
Except as I said, these rules are frequently ignored or applied less fairly in one way or another for those with "merit".
Power itself can't be opposed. By definition, opposition doesn't exist without power.
Abuse can be opposed and to some extent mitigated but it's not at all a static game. When you build walls humans go around them, climb over them, dig under them, or break through them. There is no wall that one person can build that another cannot overcome.
So to be opposed to "power dynamics" is to be opposed to non-universal capability, an extremely radical position which I am not sure you hold.
Could you expand on your definition to clarify your position?
You either believe in capitalism and thus meritocracy as its twin, or neither. Why do capitalists get to take away so much profit, and why should we award patents to inventors, if we don't reward those with "merit"?
Yes, if someone has control over your life or death, you should probably do what they say.
That is what most people call "violent coercion".
>You either believe in capitalism and thus meritocracy as its twin, or neither.
Well, quite...
>That is what most people call “violent coercion”.
Really? Is it?
There’s no point in continuing here, I’m afraid we’re too far apart to gain anything from this discussion. Have a good day.
And if they choose whether to kill you based on whether you do what they want, that's violent coercion.
That’s a non sequitur. There’s no reason that a meritocracy must allow bad behaviour from high performing contributors. Linus’s behaviour has been accepted, even lauded by certain members of the community, but I’ve always seen it as brash, arrogant and off putting. The simple fact is that people who have power tend to abuse that power, but that has nothing to do with meritocracy as a concept.