The Dream of Distribution According to Merit
The Dream of Distribution According to Merit is a play written by George Bernard Shaw that explores the idea of socialism and the distribution of wealth according to merit. The story follows a group of characters who are transported to a utopian society where everyone is given equal opportunities based on their abilities, rather than their class or status. Throughout the play, Shaw uses satire and humor to critique capitalist societies and promote his own socialist ideals.
By George Bernard Shaw · First published 1928 · Genre: Satire, Philosophical Fiction, Social Commentary · 491 words
First lines
Against this comes the protest of the Sunday School theorists "Why not distribute according to merit? " Here one imagines Jesus, whose smile has been broadening down the ages as attempt after attempt to escape from his teaching has led to deeper and deeper disaster, laughing outright. Was ever so idiotic a project mooted as the estimation of virtue in money? The London School of Economics is, we must suppose, to set examination papers with such questions as, "Taking the money value of the virtues of Jesus as 100, and of Judas Iscariot as zero, give the correct figures for, respectively, Pontius Pilate, the proprietor of the Gadarene swine, the widow who put her mite in the poor-box, Mr. Horatio Bottomley, Shakespear, Mr. Jack Johnson, Sir Isaac Newton, Palestrina, Offenbach, Sir Thomas Lipton, Mr. Paul Cinquevalli, your family doctor, Florence Nightingale, Mrs. Siddons, your charwoman, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the common hangman."
What this Textopian page supports
The Dream of Distribution According to Merit is listed on Textopian as an essay by George Bernard Shaw, dated 1928 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Essay
- Author: George Bernard Shaw
- Date: 1928 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Satire, Philosophical Fiction, Social Commentary, Political Fiction, Comedy
- Length: 491 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for The Dream of Distribution According to Merit by George Bernard Shaw
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Discussion starters
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Similar titles
- Equal Distribution by George Bernard Shaw
- Liberty And Equality by George Bernard Shaw
- Property by George Bernard Shaw
- The Lash For Labour by G. K. Chesterton
- Redistribution by George Bernard Shaw
- The Social Question by George Bernard Shaw
Genres
- Satire — The text uses humor and irony to critique the idea of distributing wealth based on merit, mocking the absurdity of quantifying virtue in monetary terms.
- Philosophical Fiction — The work explores deep philosophical questions about merit, value, and justice, challenging conventional moral and economic systems.
- Social Commentary — The narrative critiques societal norms and economic structures, particularly the impracticality of equating moral virtue with financial reward.
- Political Fiction — The text implicitly critiques political and economic ideologies that attempt to measure human worth in economic terms.
Tags
meritocracy · distribution · social justice · economic theory · philosophy · political thought · class struggle · utopianism · equality · labor · capitalism · socialism