SOURCE: "Meritocracy That Works," in National Review, New York, Vol. XLVI, No. 23, December 5, 1994, pp. 52-3.

[In the following essay, Lomasky applauds The Bell Curve's suggestion of a social meritocracy in which intellectual and/or physical abilities are the deciding factors of success in life.]

Some people succeed because of fortunate birth, some because of nuggets of good luck they find along the way. But high-level achievement mainly depends on ability. What makes one person more able to excel than another is, of course, partly a matter of upbringing and education, but there is overwhelming evidence that to a considerable extent it is a function of the mix of DNA in one's genes. People differ from one another along salient measures of achievement not only as individuals but also—though it may be politically injudicious to say so above a whisper—as members of racial groups. Although the...