# Selection of the Selectors **Domain:** Sociology of Science / Institutional Analysis **Doc Type:** Concept Node **Maturity:** Developed ## Definition **Selection of the selectors is the power to influence who will later confer legitimacy, prestige, funding, publication, accreditation, or professional seriousness.** It operates upstream from ordinary evaluation. ## War With Empire Context [[wiki/War With Empire|War With Empire]] uses the X Club to show how elections, journals, councils, prizes, and appointments can alter the [[wiki/Fitness Landscape|fitness landscape]] in which ideas compete. The network need not censor every dissenter if it helps establish who becomes editor, fellow, evaluator, or expert. The mechanism persists when inherited selection criteria become professional normality. ## Key Insight **The most powerful selector helps determine who will be trusted to select.** ## See Also [[wiki/Prestige Networks|Prestige Networks]], [[wiki/Institutional Function vs Individual Intent|Institutional Function vs Individual Intent]], [[wiki/Export Causality, Import Stewardship|Export Causality, Import Stewardship]], [[wiki/Natural Selection|Natural Selection]]