Elitism is the belief or notion that individuals who form an elite—a select group of people perceived as having an intrinsic quality, high intellect, wealth, power, notability, special skills, or experience—are more likely to be constructive to society as a whole, and therefore deserve influence or authority greater than that of others.[1] The term elitism may be used to describe a situation in which power is concentrated in the hands of a limited number of people. Beliefs that are in opposition to elitism include egalitarianism, anti-intellectualism, populism, and the political theory of pluralism.
Elite theory is the sociological or political science analysis of elite influence in society: elite theorists regard pluralism as a utopian ideal.
Some synonyms for "elite" might be "upper-class" or "aristocratic", indicating that the individual in question has a relatively large degree of control over a society's means of production. This includes those who gain this position due to socioeconomic means and not personal achievement. However, these terms are misleading when discussing elitism as a political theory, because they are often associated with negative "class" connotations and fail to appreciate a more unbiased exploration of the philosophy.[3]
Attributes that identify an elite vary; personal achievement may not be essential. Elite status can be based on personal achievement, such as degrees from top-rate universities or impressive internships and job offers, as well as on lineage or passed-on fame from parents or grandparents.[citation needed]
As a term, "elite" usually describes a person or group of people who are members of the uppermost class of society, and wealth can contribute to that class determination. Personal attributes commonly purported by elitist theorists to be characteristic of the elite include: rigorous study of, or great accomplishment within, a particular field; a long track record of competence in a demanding field; an extensive history of dedication and effort in service to a specific discipline (e.g., medicine or law) or a high degree of accomplishment, training or wisdom within a given field; a high degree of physical discipline.[citation needed]
Elitists tend to favor social systems such as meritocracy, technocracy and plutocracy as opposed to political egalitarianism and populism. Elitists believe only a few "movers and shakers" truly change society, rather than the majority of people who only vote and elect the elites into power.[4]
Elitism can not be entirely defined in one nature. Its interpretations broaden over time and communities or groups can create their own interpretations of elitism. The common characteristic among all these forms of elitism is that it shows some form of heavy inferiority-superiority.
elitism, elitist, redirects, here, other, uses, elitist, disambiguation, belief, notion, that, individuals, form, elite, select, group, people, perceived, having, intrinsic, quality, high, intellect, wealth, power, notability, special, skills, experience, more. Elitist redirects here For other uses see Elitist disambiguation Elitism is the belief or notion that individuals who form an elite a select group of people perceived as having an intrinsic quality high intellect wealth power notability special skills or experience are more likely to be constructive to society as a whole and therefore deserve influence or authority greater than that of others 1 The term elitism may be used to describe a situation in which power is concentrated in the hands of a limited number of people Beliefs that are in opposition to elitism include egalitarianism anti intellectualism populism and the political theory of pluralism Elite theory is the sociological or political science analysis of elite influence in society elite theorists regard pluralism as a utopian ideal Elitism is closely related to social class and what sociologists term social stratification In modern Western societies social stratification is typically defined in terms of three distinct social classes the upper class the middle class and the lower class 2 Some synonyms for elite might be upper class or aristocratic indicating that the individual in question has a relatively large degree of control over a society s means of production This includes those who gain this position due to socioeconomic means and not personal achievement However these terms are misleading when discussing elitism as a political theory because they are often associated with negative class connotations and fail to appreciate a more unbiased exploration of the philosophy 3 Contents 1 Characteristics 2 See also 3 References 4 External linksCharacteristics EditAttributes that identify an elite vary personal achievement may not be essential Elite status can be based on personal achievement such as degrees from top rate universities or impressive internships and job offers as well as on lineage or passed on fame from parents or grandparents citation needed As a term elite usually describes a person or group of people who are members of the uppermost class of society and wealth can contribute to that class determination Personal attributes commonly purported by elitist theorists to be characteristic of the elite include rigorous study of or great accomplishment within a particular field a long track record of competence in a demanding field an extensive history of dedication and effort in service to a specific discipline e g medicine or law or a high degree of accomplishment training or wisdom within a given field a high degree of physical discipline citation needed Elitists tend to favor social systems such as meritocracy technocracy and plutocracy as opposed to political egalitarianism and populism Elitists believe only a few movers and shakers truly change society rather than the majority of people who only vote and elect the elites into power 4 Elitism can not be entirely defined in one nature Its interpretations broaden over time and communities or groups can create their own interpretations of elitism The common characteristic among all these forms of elitism is that it shows some form of heavy inferiority superiority See also Edit Society portal Politics portal Philosophy portalClassism Collective narcissism Exclusivism Global elite International Debutante Ball Ivory tower Narcissism Oligarchy Rankism Right wing populism Sectarianism Self righteousness Snobbery Social Darwinism Social Evolution SupremacismReferences Edit elitist Definition of elitist in English by Oxford Dictionaries Oxford Dictionaries English Archived from the original on September 25 2016 Retrieved March 4 2019 Saunders Peter 1990 Social Class and Stratification Routledge ISBN 978 0 415 04125 6 ELITIST meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary dictionary cambridge org Retrieved March 4 2019 Elite elitist theory auburn edu Auburn University Retrieved 13 August 2014 External links Edit Wikiquote has quotations related to Elitism Look up elitism in Wiktionary the free dictionary Deresiewicz William June 2008 The Disadvantages of an Elite Education Our best universities have forgotten that the reason they exist is to make minds not careers The American Scholar Review of William Deresiewicz s book Excellent Sheep April 2015 Foreign Affairs Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Elitism amp oldid 1139942113, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
