Is There a Personal Responsibility Issue in Science?

The problem with a society that's meritocratic fundamentally, even if it's meritocratic based on character, is that there's still going to be individual differences. Some of the world's most brilliant people hold ph d in the sciences. And i remember a friend of mine being told that he had a 14 thousand dollar a year job offer, post phd, with a pregnant wife. It was because of something that came out of the national academy of sciences and the national science foundation to slam american workers in the sector. The market has to work for people, not just institutions.