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Summary
Summary
A Times Literary Supplement 's Book of the Year 2020
A New Statesman 's Best Book of 2020
A Bloomberg 's Best Book of 2020
A Guardian Best Book About Ideas of 2020
The world-renowned philosopher and author of the bestselling Justice explores the central question of our time: What has become of the common good?
These are dangerous times for democracy. We live in an age of winners and losers, where the odds are stacked in favor of the already fortunate. Stalled social mobility and entrenched inequality give the lie to the American credo that "you can make it if you try". The consequence is a brew of anger and frustration that has fueled populist protest and extreme polarization, and led to deep distrust of both government and our fellow citizens--leaving us morally unprepared to face the profound challenges of our time.
World-renowned philosopher Michael J. Sandel argues that to overcome the crises that are upending our world, we must rethink the attitudes toward success and failure that have accompanied globalization and rising inequality. Sandel shows the hubris a meritocracy generates among the winners and the harsh judgement it imposes on those left behind, and traces the dire consequences across a wide swath of American life. He offers an alternative way of thinking about success--more attentive to the role of luck in human affairs, more conducive to an ethic of humility and solidarity, and more affirming of the dignity of work. The Tyranny of Merit points us toward a hopeful vision of a new politics of the common good.
Author Notes
Michael J. Sandel teaches political philosophy at Harvard University. His books What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets and Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do? were international best sellers and have been translated into 27 languages. Sandel's legendary course "Justice" was the first Harvard course to be made freely available online and has been viewed by tens of millions. His BBC series "The Public Philosopher" explores the philosophical ideas lying behind the headlines with participants from around the world.
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
The almost sacred principle of meritocracy--that society should (and does) grant position and wealth to the most talented and capable--is tearing people apart, according to this bracing sociopolitical treatise. Harvard political philosopher Sandel (Democracy's Discontent) argues that the meritocratic creed has created a sharply unequal, globalized economy with soaring incomes for a few and stagnant wages for the rest; government by out-of-touch technocrats indifferent to the concerns of ordinary people; and a populist backlash against meritocratic elites from a working class that's marginalized and humiliated by a system that says their dim prospects are the just outcome of their lack of smarts and adaptability. Writing in tart prose that decries "the smug conviction of those who land on the top that they deserve their fate, and that those on the bottom deserve theirs," the author traces the meritocratic concept from Christian theological roots and criticisms of it by philosophers to its deep influence on modern-day rhetoric; the book's centerpiece is a stinging attack on universities as temples of meritocracy that nevertheless reinforce upper-class privilege rather than helping the disadvantaged. Sandel, however, only makes a few concrete suggestions for dethroning meritocracy, including college admissions by lottery. Still, he offers a rich, incisive analysis of how the meritocratic ideal contributes to contemporary political crises. (Sept.)
Kirkus Review
How pernicious assumptions about merit undermine democracy. Harvard professor of political philosophy and host of BBC Radio's "The Global Philosopher," Sandel offers a cogent, penetrating critique of meritocracy, which, he argues persuasively, has trammeled our sense of community and mutual respect. Central to the meritocratic ethic, he writes, is "freedom--the ability to control my destiny by dint of hard work--and deservingness. If I am responsible for having accrued a handsome share of worldly goods--income and wealth, power and prestige--I must deserve them. Success is a sign of virtue. My affluence is my due." However, the author asserts that many factors beyond one's control--family status, quality of education, what skills or talents the market values--shape one's access to wealth and prestige. "Even a fair meritocracy," he adds, "one without cheating or bribery or special privileges for the wealthy, induces a mistaken impression--that we have made it on our own." Sandel deplores the rhetoric--touted by politicians on the left and right--that "valorizes credentialism" by calling for workers to improve their lives by getting a college degree. Such rhetoric, he insists repeatedly, erodes the dignity of work, "undermines social recognition and esteem for those who lack the credentials the system rewards," and leads to unfounded prejudice against those less educated. Loss of social esteem, he maintains, afflicts many aggrieved workers in contemporary America. Sandel's proposals to undermine the tyranny of meritocracy include a lottery system for admission to highly selective colleges, after a diverse and qualified pool is established; and a commitment to creating spaces and places where "citizens from different walks of life encounter one another." The idea of a competitive meritocracy, he writes, "is a hollow political project that reflects an impoverished conception of citizenship and freedom." Sandel's proposals for change are less convincing than his deeply considered analysis. A stimulating examination of a divisive social and political problem. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Table of Contents
| Prologue | p. 3 |
| Introduction: Getting In | p. 7 |
| 1 Winners and Losers | p. 17 |
| 2 "Great Because Good": A Brief Moral History of Merit | p. 33 |
| 3 The Rhetoric of Rising | p. 59 |
| 4 Credentialism: The Last Acceptable Prejudice | p. 81 |
| 5 Success Ethics | p. 113 |
| 6 The Sorting Machine | p. 155 |
| 7 Recognizing Work | p. 197 |
| Conclusion: Merit and the Common Good | p. 223 |
| Notes | p. 229 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 259 |
| Index | p. 261 |
