{"id":10554,"date":"2025-11-13T14:45:16","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T13:45:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/?p=10554"},"modified":"2025-11-13T14:45:16","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T13:45:16","slug":"doha-debates-asks-is-earned-success-an-illusion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/doha-debates-asks-is-earned-success-an-illusion\/","title":{"rendered":"Doha Debates Asks: Is \u2018Earned Success\u2019 an Illusion?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Global thinkers and students in Doha engage in a spirited debate over fairness, privilege and the meaning of success.<\/b><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n

Can success ever be truly earned? In its latest flagship episode,\u00a0Qatar Foundation\u2019s Doha Debates<\/strong>\u00a0brings together global thinkers and students for a thought-provoking conversation on whether hard work and talent still determine who rises, or whether \u201cearned success\u201d conceals deeper inequities.<\/p>\n

Daniel Markovits, Guido Calabresi Professor of Law at Yale Law School, argues that the system meant to promote fairness has instead entrenched inequality. \u201cMeritocracy has become the principal obstacle to equality of opportunity, at least in the rich countries of the world,\u201d he says, warning that competition built on elite education and inherited advantage has replaced real mobility.<\/p>\n

Bryan Caplan, Professor of Economics at George Mason University, offers a contrasting view. \u201cMeritocracy is pretty real if we actually had open borders where anyone could work anywhere,\u201d he says. For Caplan, prosperity depends on personal responsibility and freedom of movement, not structural intervention.<\/p>\n

From a human-centered perspective, Dr. Poornima Luthra, Associate Professor at Copenhagen Business School, challenges the idea that opportunity is equally accessible. \u201cMeritocracy is a belief, a system where people are assumed to have opportunity solely on merit,\u201d she says. \u201cIn reality, people experience bias and discrimination across many aspects of their identity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Offering a global outlook, Parag Khanna, Founder and CEO of AlphaGeo, sees potential in redefining meritocracy. \u201cMeritocracy can work if the most qualified people are making decisions about the shape and direction of society,\u201d he says, citing governance models that reward expertise and mobility.<\/p>\n

Adding their voices, students from universities across Qatar reflect on how these ideas resonate with their generation. Sundus Saeed, 26, a social sciences student at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, says, \u201cThe system often ensures that people stay out, and if someone rises, hurdles are placed in their way to maintain the status quo.\u201d Carl Jambo, 22, studying international economics at Georgetown University in Qatar, takes an opposing view, saying, \u201cMeritocracy gives you the platform to prove yourself, an individual against the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Filmed in Doha Debates\u2019 signature Majlis-style format, the debate reflects the platform\u2019s mission to host open, truth-seeking conversations for global audiences, inviting viewers to reconsider what fairness means and how societies can ensure opportunity for all.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Global thinkers and students in Doha engage in a spirited debate over fairness, privilege and the meaning of success. Can success ever be truly earned? In its latest flagship episode,\u00a0Qatar Foundation\u2019s Doha Debates\u00a0brings together global thinkers and students for a thought-provoking conversation on whether hard work and talent still determine who rises, or whether \u201cearned …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10555,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[9,1394,1310],"class_list":["post-10554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-business","tag-education","tag-general"],"yoast_head":"\nDoha Debates Asks: Is \u2018Earned Success\u2019 an Illusion? - Magazine Shams Al Yaoum<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/doha-debates-asks-is-earned-success-an-illusion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Doha Debates Asks: Is \u2018Earned Success\u2019 an Illusion? - Magazine Shams Al Yaoum\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Global thinkers and students in Doha engage in a spirited debate over fairness, privilege and the meaning of success. Can success ever be truly earned? In its latest flagship episode,\u00a0Qatar Foundation\u2019s Doha Debates\u00a0brings together global thinkers and students for a thought-provoking conversation on whether hard work and talent still determine who rises, or whether \u201cearned …\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/doha-debates-asks-is-earned-success-an-illusion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Magazine Shams Al Yaoum\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-13T13:45:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"666\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"shamsalyaoum\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"shamsalyaoum\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/doha-debates-asks-is-earned-success-an-illusion\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/doha-debates-asks-is-earned-success-an-illusion\/\",\"name\":\"Doha Debates Asks: Is \u2018Earned Success\u2019 an Illusion? - Magazine Shams Al Yaoum\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/doha-debates-asks-is-earned-success-an-illusion\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/doha-debates-asks-is-earned-success-an-illusion\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-13T13:45:16+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/6e4dae56c61a28d2d84c342a9a53d199\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/doha-debates-asks-is-earned-success-an-illusion\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/doha-debates-asks-is-earned-success-an-illusion\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/doha-debates-asks-is-earned-success-an-illusion\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-2.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":666},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/doha-debates-asks-is-earned-success-an-illusion\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Doha Debates Asks: Is \u2018Earned Success\u2019 an Illusion?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Magazine Shams Al Yaoum\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/6e4dae56c61a28d2d84c342a9a53d199\",\"name\":\"shamsalyaoum\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/11774fd6260846ea4d3230345b47c868eaffb0fe76386b1a8b3cc24c8dc91f3d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/11774fd6260846ea4d3230345b47c868eaffb0fe76386b1a8b3cc24c8dc91f3d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"shamsalyaoum\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/author\/shamsalyaoum\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Doha Debates Asks: Is \u2018Earned Success\u2019 an Illusion? - Magazine Shams Al Yaoum","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/doha-debates-asks-is-earned-success-an-illusion\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Doha Debates Asks: Is \u2018Earned Success\u2019 an Illusion? - Magazine Shams Al Yaoum","og_description":"Global thinkers and students in Doha engage in a spirited debate over fairness, privilege and the meaning of success. Can success ever be truly earned? In its latest flagship episode,\u00a0Qatar Foundation\u2019s Doha Debates\u00a0brings together global thinkers and students for a thought-provoking conversation on whether hard work and talent still determine who rises, or whether \u201cearned …","og_url":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/doha-debates-asks-is-earned-success-an-illusion\/","og_site_name":"Magazine Shams Al Yaoum","article_published_time":"2025-11-13T13:45:16+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":666,"url":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"shamsalyaoum","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"shamsalyaoum","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/doha-debates-asks-is-earned-success-an-illusion\/","url":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/doha-debates-asks-is-earned-success-an-illusion\/","name":"Doha Debates Asks: Is \u2018Earned Success\u2019 an Illusion? - Magazine Shams Al Yaoum","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/doha-debates-asks-is-earned-success-an-illusion\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/doha-debates-asks-is-earned-success-an-illusion\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-2.jpg","datePublished":"2025-11-13T13:45:16+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/6e4dae56c61a28d2d84c342a9a53d199"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/doha-debates-asks-is-earned-success-an-illusion\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/doha-debates-asks-is-earned-success-an-illusion\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/doha-debates-asks-is-earned-success-an-illusion\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-2.jpg","width":1000,"height":666},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/doha-debates-asks-is-earned-success-an-illusion\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Doha Debates Asks: Is \u2018Earned Success\u2019 an Illusion?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/","name":"Magazine Shams Al Yaoum","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/6e4dae56c61a28d2d84c342a9a53d199","name":"shamsalyaoum","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/11774fd6260846ea4d3230345b47c868eaffb0fe76386b1a8b3cc24c8dc91f3d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/11774fd6260846ea4d3230345b47c868eaffb0fe76386b1a8b3cc24c8dc91f3d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"shamsalyaoum"},"url":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/author\/shamsalyaoum\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10554"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10554\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10556,"href":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10554\/revisions\/10556"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shams-alyaoum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}