This is Hidden Brain. I'm Shankar Vedantam. Doing better than your parents, having a better education,

living a better life, this is universally seen as a good thing. But a century ago, a poet named

Christo Smirnansky wrote a parable that raises important questions about the nature of upward mobility.

The tale of the stairs is about an impoverished young man standing at the foot of a marble staircase.

He's gazing up at the wealthy people above him.

Who are enjoying themselves and having drinks while the people down below don't have enough

food to eat and are really suffering.

This is philosopher Jennifer Morton.

Blocking the young man's ascent to the party above is the devil himself.

The devil asked him if he wants to get closer to the top.

There's just one catch.

The devil wants a bribe. The young man protests. I am poor,

a youth in rags, he says, but I'm willing to give up my life. The devil says he doesn't want the

young man's life. He wants to replace his hearing with a new pair of ears.

The young man agrees.

And so, the devil lets him walk up a few steps.

Now, he can no longer hear the people below who are moaning out of hunger and the stress.

The young man is still only partway up the stairs.

To go higher, the devil asks him to trade in his eyes for a new pair. And he can no longer see the people moaning down below and who are suffering.

He's near the top. The devil asks for a final bribe. He wants to replace the young man's memory and his heart.

The young man protests, but the devil assures him a better heart and a new memory.

The young man is now at the very top.

...