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In sociology as in general usage, the elite (the "elect"; sometimes the French form "élite" is used) refers to a relatively small dominant group within a larger society, which enjoys privileged status and, almost invariantly, exploits individuals of lower social status. When applied to an individual, as in the phrase "many elites come to this restaurant," the usage quite economically both refers to an individual within that class and establishes the speaker as non-elite.
In religion the Latin form "elect" is preferred over the French form "élite" in discussing Cathar or Calvinist theology, for examples, and the social structure that is theologically driven. Other religious groups may use expressions like "the saints" to describe the elect.
Some elites speak a language that is not shared by the commonality: today in Finland the elite speaks an archaic dialect of Swedish, in Tsarist Russia the elite spoke French; in Plantagenet England the elite spoke Norman French; in Ptolemaic Egypt the elite spoke koine Greek. (See linguistic imperialism.) Elites establish correct usage for the language when they share one with the commonality. Elite usage is reflected in "prescriptive" dictionaries; common usage is reflected in "descriptive" dictionaries. Elites establish cultural canons, which are more widely agreed-upon within the elite and more generally ignored or resented among the non-elite.
Elite advantages are the usual ones of a dominant social class: easier access to capital and political power, more rigorous education largely free of indoctrination, resulting in cultural influence, and leadershipIn common usage, leadership generally refers to: the position or office of an authority figure, such as a President a group of influential people, such as a union leadership guidance or direction, as in the phrase "the emperor is not providing much leader.
Elites may justify their existence based on claims of inherited position, among insecure elites sometimes given pseudoscientificA pseudoscience is any body of knowledge purported to be scientific or supported by science but which fails to comply with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is a kind of counterfeit or masquerade of science which makes use of some of the superficial tr justifications of geneticDNA and to a chromosome (right). Introns are regions often found in eukaryote genes which are removed in the splicing process: only the exons encode the protein. This diagram labels a region of only 40 or so bases as a gene. In reality many genes are much or racialThis article is about race as a concept of intraspecies classification. For the many types of competitive sport, see racing. FBI identifies fugitives by photographs, physical features, occupation, nationality, and race. From left to right, the FBI identif superiority. AmericanThe United States of America also referred to as the United States U. America ¹ or the States is a federal republic in central North America, stretching from the Atlantic in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. It shares land borders with Canada in conservatives, usually of the elite, often claim that the American system is a meritocracyMeritocracy is a system of government based on rule by ability rather than by wealth or social position. Ironically, the term was first used in a pejorative sense in Michael Young's 1958 book Rise of the Meritocracy which was written from the standpoint o, its elite consisting of America's hardest-working and most talented individuals (who are, therefore, deserving of their privilege). While hard-working and talented individuals do enjoy an advantage in American society (as in all societies) this theory has been, for the most part, repeatedly debunked. Elites are both envied and resented.
Elites are educated to govern. Elite education is sceptical and inquiring, hard-headed, intolerant of sham, demanding and unsentimental. Common education is designed to produce large numbers of useful and loyal citizens at low cost. Publicly financed elite education is a symptom of a successful and confident society that is prepared for self-criticism.
Wealth is not a sure sign of elite status. Neither does an elite necessarily show a sense of public obligation.
AristocracyAristocracy is a form of government in which rulership is in the hands of an "upper class" known as aristocrats . The Greek origins of the word aristocracy imply the meaning of "rule by the best". This inevitably means those with the power to hold wealth, and oligarchy are social systems which feature an elite. An elite group, ranged round the alpha male, is a distinct feature of other closely-related social primates.| Politics | Business | Finance |
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