在这种制度下，杜绝了不公正现象，如靠等级、靠世袭，从而有才之人即使出身贫寒也有出头之地。才能才是决定公职位置不同的关键。

There is no caste here; no inheritance of position or privilege; no stoppage of talent impecuniously born; the son of a ruler begins on the same level, and receives the same treatment and opportunity, as the son of a bootblack; if the ruler's son is a dolt he falls at the first shearing; if the bootblack's son is a man of ability the way is clear for him to become a guardian of the state(423).
这里没有等级，没有职位或特权的世袭，没有因出身贫寒而遭埋没；统治者的儿子与擦鞋匠的儿子站在同一水平线，获得同样的待遇及机会。倘若统治者之子是个蠢材，那么在第一轮筛选时就会被淘汰；倘若擦鞋匠之子能力出众，那么他晋升为国家护卫者之路将一片坦途（第423节）。

细节解析

1、stoppage： the act of stopping something暂停
The labour stoppage has put a real dent in these companies.停工对这些公司已造成了切实打击。《金融时报》
2、impecunious：having little or no money; poor穷困潦倒的；一贫如洗的；
His business connections with the impecunious great both in France and in England had secured the foothold he had obtained on his arrival in Europe as a young man with letters of introduction to persons of consequence.他在法国与英国，均与家道中落的权贵阶层建立了业务往来——正是这些联系，让他年轻时凭一封重要人物的介绍信抵达欧洲后就成功站稳了脚跟。《刀锋》
3、bootblack：a person who polishes shoes and boots擦鞋匠
If it wasn't for fear, every bootblack in Spain would be a bullfighter.如果不是怕，西班牙所有的擦鞋匠早就成了斗牛士。《海明威短篇小说精选》
4、dolt: a stupid person笨蛋；傻瓜
And yet, in spite of the killing pace and the stony track, who but the sluggard or the dolt can hold aloof from the course?《懒人闲思录》
5、shearing：removing by cutting off or clipping剪（羊毛），这里比喻成上文提到的“大淘汰”。
The shearing is also profitable for farm owner Kevin Brandt.《VOA Special》

所在段落

The Story of Philosophy《哲学的故事》第1章Plato第7节VI. The Political Solution第2段第6句：

Is this aristocracy? Well, we need not be afraid of the word, if the reality is good which it betoken: words are wise men's counters, without value of their own; they are the money only of fools and politicians. We want to be ruled by the best, which is what aristocracy means; have we not, Carlyle-like, yearned and prayed to be ruled by the best? But we have come to think of aristocracies as hereditary; let it be carefully noted that this Platonic aristocracy is not of that kind; one would rather call it a democratic aristocracy. For the people , instead of blindly electing the lesser of two evils presented to them as candidates by nominating cliques, will here be themselves, every one of them, the candidates; and will receive an equal chance of educational election to public office. There is no caste here; no inheritance of position or privilege; no stoppage of talent impecuniously born; the son of a ruler begins on the same level, and receives the same treatment and opportunity, as the son of a bootblack; if the ruler's son is a dolt he falls at the first shearing; if the bootblack's son is a man of ability the way is clear for him to become a guardian of the state(423). Career will be open to talent wherever it is born. This is a democracy of the schools — a hundredfold more honest and more effective than a democracy of the polls.
浙江大学译本： 这里面不存在异端，没有职位或特权的继承，没有阻止天才诞生在一贫如洗的环境中；统治者的儿子和擦鞋匠的儿子站在同一起跑线上，有着相同的待遇和机会；假如统治者的儿子是个傻子，那么他在第一轮测试中就会被淘汰；假如擦鞋匠的儿子具备真正的能力， 那么他会一路过关而成为国家的护卫官。（第423节）

上句见：Day439