The Resource Merit : the history of a founding ideal from the American Revolution to the twenty-first century, Joseph F. Kett
Merit : the history of a founding ideal from the American Revolution to the twenty-first century, Joseph F. Kett
Resource Information
The item Merit : the history of a founding ideal from the American Revolution to the twenty-first century, Joseph F. Kett represents a specific, individual, material embodiment of a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in University of Missouri Libraries.This item is available to borrow from 1 library branch.
Resource Information
The item Merit : the history of a founding ideal from the American Revolution to the twenty-first century, Joseph F. Kett represents a specific, individual, material embodiment of a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in University of Missouri Libraries.
This item is available to borrow from 1 library branch.
- Summary
- The idea that citizens' advancement should depend exclusively on merit, on qualities that deserve reward rather than on bloodlines or wire-pulling, was among the Founding ideals of the American republic, Joseph F. Kett argues in this provocative and engaging book. Merit's history, he contends, is best understood within the context of its often conflicting interaction with the other ideals of the Founding, equal rights and government by consent. Merit implies difference; equality suggests sameness. By sanctioning selection of those lower down by those higher up, merit potentially conflicts with the republican ideal that citizens consent to the decisions that affect their lives. In Merit, which traces the history of its subject over three centuries, Kett asserts that Americans have reconciled merit with other principles of the Founding in ways that have shaped their distinctive approach to the grading of public schools, report cards, the forging of workplace hierarchies, employee rating forms, merit systems in government, the selection of officers for the armed forces, and standardized testing for intelligence, character, and vocational interests. Today, the concept of merit is most commonly associated with measures by which it is quantified. Viewing their merit as an element of their selfhood - essential merit - members of the Founding generation showed no interest in quantitative measurements. Rather, they equated merit with an inner quality that accounted for their achievements and that was best measured by their reputations among their peers. In a republic based on equal rights and consent of the people, however, it became important to establish that merit-based rewards were within the grasp of ordinary Americans. In response, Americans embraced institutional merit in the form of procedures focused on drawing small distinctions among average people. They also developed a penchant for increasing the number of winners in competition - what Kett calls "selection in" rather than "selection out"--In order to satisfy popular aspirations. Kett argues that values rooted in the Founding of the republic continue to influence Americans' approach to controversies, including those surrounding affirmative action, which involve the ideal of merit. -- Book jacket
- Language
- eng
- Extent
- 1 online resource
- Contents
-
- Introduction : the faces of merit
- Republic of merit
- Merit and the culture of public life
- Small worlds : competition in the colleges
- Making the grade : managed competition and schooling
- The scientific measurement of merit
- The "presumption of merit" : institutionalizing merit
- Squeeze play : merit in government
- Merit in crisis
- Epilogue : merit, equality, consent
- Isbn
- 9780801467677
- Label
- Merit : the history of a founding ideal from the American Revolution to the twenty-first century
- Title
- Merit
- Title remainder
- the history of a founding ideal from the American Revolution to the twenty-first century
- Statement of responsibility
- Joseph F. Kett
- Subject
-
- Electronic books
- HISTORY -- United States -- General
- History
- Merit (Ethics) -- Social aspects -- United States
- National characteristics, American
- National characteristics, American -- History
- PHILOSOPHY -- Ethics & Moral Philosophy
- Social values
- Social values -- United States -- History
- United States
- United States -- History
- Language
- eng
- Summary
- The idea that citizens' advancement should depend exclusively on merit, on qualities that deserve reward rather than on bloodlines or wire-pulling, was among the Founding ideals of the American republic, Joseph F. Kett argues in this provocative and engaging book. Merit's history, he contends, is best understood within the context of its often conflicting interaction with the other ideals of the Founding, equal rights and government by consent. Merit implies difference; equality suggests sameness. By sanctioning selection of those lower down by those higher up, merit potentially conflicts with the republican ideal that citizens consent to the decisions that affect their lives. In Merit, which traces the history of its subject over three centuries, Kett asserts that Americans have reconciled merit with other principles of the Founding in ways that have shaped their distinctive approach to the grading of public schools, report cards, the forging of workplace hierarchies, employee rating forms, merit systems in government, the selection of officers for the armed forces, and standardized testing for intelligence, character, and vocational interests. Today, the concept of merit is most commonly associated with measures by which it is quantified. Viewing their merit as an element of their selfhood - essential merit - members of the Founding generation showed no interest in quantitative measurements. Rather, they equated merit with an inner quality that accounted for their achievements and that was best measured by their reputations among their peers. In a republic based on equal rights and consent of the people, however, it became important to establish that merit-based rewards were within the grasp of ordinary Americans. In response, Americans embraced institutional merit in the form of procedures focused on drawing small distinctions among average people. They also developed a penchant for increasing the number of winners in competition - what Kett calls "selection in" rather than "selection out"--In order to satisfy popular aspirations. Kett argues that values rooted in the Founding of the republic continue to influence Americans' approach to controversies, including those surrounding affirmative action, which involve the ideal of merit. -- Book jacket
- Cataloging source
- YDXCP
- http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
- Kett, Joseph F
- Dewey number
- 179/.9
- Index
- index present
- Language note
- In English
- LC call number
- BJ1500.M47
- LC item number
- K45 2013
- Literary form
- non fiction
- Nature of contents
-
- dictionaries
- bibliography
- Series statement
- American institutions and society
- http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
-
- Merit (Ethics)
- Social values
- National characteristics, American
- United States
- HISTORY
- PHILOSOPHY
- National characteristics, American
- Social values
- United States
- Label
- Merit : the history of a founding ideal from the American Revolution to the twenty-first century, Joseph F. Kett
- Bibliography note
- Includes bibliographical references and index
- Carrier category
- online resource
- Carrier category code
-
- cr
- Carrier MARC source
- rdacarrier
- Content category
- text
- Content type code
-
- txt
- Content type MARC source
- rdacontent
- Contents
- Introduction : the faces of merit -- Republic of merit -- Merit and the culture of public life -- Small worlds : competition in the colleges -- Making the grade : managed competition and schooling -- The scientific measurement of merit -- The "presumption of merit" : institutionalizing merit -- Squeeze play : merit in government -- Merit in crisis -- Epilogue : merit, equality, consent
- Control code
- 829387575
- Dimensions
- unknown
- Extent
- 1 online resource
- Form of item
- online
- Isbn
- 9780801467677
- Media category
- computer
- Media MARC source
- rdamedia
- Media type code
-
- c
- Other control number
- 10.7591/9780801467677
- http://library.link/vocab/ext/overdrive/overdriveId
- 22573/ctt1jrb2w
- Specific material designation
- remote
- System control number
- (OCoLC)829387575
- Label
- Merit : the history of a founding ideal from the American Revolution to the twenty-first century, Joseph F. Kett
- Bibliography note
- Includes bibliographical references and index
- Carrier category
- online resource
- Carrier category code
-
- cr
- Carrier MARC source
- rdacarrier
- Content category
- text
- Content type code
-
- txt
- Content type MARC source
- rdacontent
- Contents
- Introduction : the faces of merit -- Republic of merit -- Merit and the culture of public life -- Small worlds : competition in the colleges -- Making the grade : managed competition and schooling -- The scientific measurement of merit -- The "presumption of merit" : institutionalizing merit -- Squeeze play : merit in government -- Merit in crisis -- Epilogue : merit, equality, consent
- Control code
- 829387575
- Dimensions
- unknown
- Extent
- 1 online resource
- Form of item
- online
- Isbn
- 9780801467677
- Media category
- computer
- Media MARC source
- rdamedia
- Media type code
-
- c
- Other control number
- 10.7591/9780801467677
- http://library.link/vocab/ext/overdrive/overdriveId
- 22573/ctt1jrb2w
- Specific material designation
- remote
- System control number
- (OCoLC)829387575
Subject
- Electronic books
- HISTORY -- United States -- General
- History
- Merit (Ethics) -- Social aspects -- United States
- National characteristics, American
- National characteristics, American -- History
- PHILOSOPHY -- Ethics & Moral Philosophy
- Social values
- Social values -- United States -- History
- United States
- United States -- History
Genre
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<div class="citation" vocab="http://schema.org/"><i class="fa fa-external-link-square fa-fw"></i> Data from <span resource="http://link.library.missouri.edu/portal/Merit--the-history-of-a-founding-ideal-from-the/WuvKL584wQ8/" typeof="Book http://bibfra.me/vocab/lite/Item"><span property="name http://bibfra.me/vocab/lite/label"><a href="http://link.library.missouri.edu/portal/Merit--the-history-of-a-founding-ideal-from-the/WuvKL584wQ8/">Merit : the history of a founding ideal from the American Revolution to the twenty-first century, Joseph F. Kett</a></span> - <span property="potentialAction" typeOf="OrganizeAction"><span property="agent" typeof="LibrarySystem http://library.link/vocab/LibrarySystem" resource="http://link.library.missouri.edu/"><span property="name http://bibfra.me/vocab/lite/label"><a property="url" href="http://link.library.missouri.edu/">University of Missouri Libraries</a></span></span></span></span></div>
