On Nov 14, 2006, at 2:41 PM, Mark Lause wrote:
David Shemano asked, "Do any members of this list give any credence
to the
theory that a 'cognitive elite/meritcoracy' is the ruling class in the
United States, or is that something Leftists dismiss out of hand?"
Great question. "Do any members of this list give any credence to
Santa
Claus, or is that something Leftists dismiss out of hand?"
I guess "dismiss out of hand" is the answer.
If I were going to answer the question, I'd say that the "cognitive
elite" - which is a very plastic category, since family background
has a lot to do with both educational opportunities and outcomes -
plays an important administrative role in keeping the system running,
but a ruling class, by the classical concept, rules because of
property ownership and family connections. I doubt David Rockefeller
knows much about physics, case law, or econometrics; he has minions
who take care of that stuff for him.
Doug
