The Myth of Spontaneous Generation: How Western Meritocracy Creates Its“ Self-Made Men”
The thought of facts by Hubert Marlin Elingui Jr.
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Editorial
The Myth of Spontaneous Generation: How Western Meritocracy Creates Its“ Self-Made Men”
An Investigation into a Contemporary Phenomenon...
The thought of facts by Hubert Marlin Elingui Jr.
Flashmag! Issue 177 October 2026
There is a phrase that is repeated like a mantra in our Western democracies:“ Work hard, and you will succeed.” This is the beating heart of the meritocratic dream— the promise that talent alone is enough to climb the ladder of power, wealth, or recognition. Yet, upon closer inspection, a troubling question arises: what if this success were almost never the result of merit alone, but always, in some way, the result of a door opened by someone in a position of influence?
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A theory that has a name— and has existed for a century
French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu had already articulated this in the 1970s: success is not passed down solely through money, but through what he called“ social capital” and“ cultural capital.” In other words, it’ s not just bank accounts that are passed down from generation to generation— it’ s also address books, linguistic codes, table manners, and, above all, that almost invisible ability to know who to call at the right moment.