The Tyranny of Merit

What's Become of the Common Good?

Audiobook

Published Sept. 15, 2020 by Macmillan Audio.

5 stars (2 reviews)

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 …

3 editions

Subjects

  • Polarization (social science)
  • Populism
  • Public interest
  • Social mobility
  • Globalization
  • United states, social conditions, 21st century

Lists