2/8: The Meritocratic Sunak Government in turmoil: The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World, by Adrian Wooldridge
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
4.5 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 29 January 2023
⏱️ 9 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
1936 Buenos Aires
@Batchelorshow
2/8: The Meritocratic Sunak Government in turmoil: The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World, by Adrian Wooldridge
https://www.amazon.com/Aristocracy-Talent-Meritocracy-Modern-World/dp/B0B4PWWDJ9/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1655594403&sr=1-1
In The Aristocracy of Talent, esteemed journalist and historian Adrian Wooldridge traces the history of meritocracy forged by the politicians and officials who introduced the revolutionary principle of open competition, the psychologists who devised methods for measuring natural mental abilities, and the educationalists who built ladders of educational opportunity. He looks outside western cultures and shows what transformative effects it has had everywhere it has been adopted, especially once women were brought into the meritocratic system.
Wooldridge also shows how meritocracy has now become corrupted and argues that the recent stalling of social mobility is the result of failure to complete the meritocratic revolution. Rather than abandoning meritocracy, he says, we should call for its renewal.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | These days, it's nice to know what you're getting. |
| 0:03.3 | Like the same, hmm. |
| 0:04.9 | When you took into our tasty breakfast, the same, yes! |
| 0:08.2 | When your kids stay and eat breakfast for free, the same, woo! |
| 0:12.0 | Knowing there are over 800 hotels and the same, ah! |
| 0:16.2 | Every time you sink into one of our super comfy beds, |
| 0:19.3 | enjoy the same feeling whatever the trip. |
| 0:21.6 | Premier in, rest easy, |
| 0:23.5 | only available to book at premierin.com. |
| 0:26.4 | The season sees apply up to two kids stay and eat breakfast free with a full-paying adult. |
| 0:30.4 | This is CBSI in the world. |
| 0:35.3 | I'm John Bathsha, |
| 0:36.1 | visiting with the author, Adrian Wuldridge, |
| 0:39.0 | who is also a budget at the Economist magazine, Adrian Wuldridge. |
| 0:42.3 | His new book is The Aristocracy of Talent. |
| 0:44.9 | How meritocracy made the modern world. |
| 0:47.6 | It's incredibly, |
| 0:49.4 | personally up to date, |
| 0:50.6 | but we are exploring how we got here. |
| 0:54.0 | The word meritocracy isn't until the middle of the 20th century. |
| 0:58.9 | However, the search for who is capable of giving good governance, |
| 1:04.4 | who can we depend upon, who will live out his reign? |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from John Batchelor, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of John Batchelor and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.