The Tyranny of Merit: What Has Become of the Common Good? | Michael Sandel

Hidden Forces

Demetri Kofinas

Business, Government

4.8 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 21 December 2020

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In Episode 169 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Michael Sandel, professor of Government Theory at Harvard University Law School, host of the BBC series "The Public Philosopher," and author of numerous, bestselling books including his latest, "The Tyranny of Merit."

When people complain about meritocracy, the complaint is usually not about the ideal but about our failure to live up to it. According to this complaint, meritocracy is a myth, a distant promise yet to be redeemed. This complaint is certainly valid. But what if the problem runs deeper? What if the real problem with meritocracy is not that we have failed to achieve it but that the ideal is flawed? What if the rhetoric of rising no longer inspires, not simply because social mobility has stalled but, more fundamentally, because helping people scramble up the ladder of success in a competitive meritocracy is a hollow political project that reflects an impoverished conception of citizenship and freedom?

Perhaps nowhere has this mindset around success and failure been more evident than in our response to the pandemic, where we were continually assured by our public officials that we are "all in this together." And yet, for those of who have been working from home during this time or who are economically independent enough to prioritize social distancing, take the necessary health precautions, and access the highest quality health services this catchphrase rings hollow. We know it's not true. We know that there are two different realities for two different classes of people in this society, the winners and the losers.

In their conversation today, Michael and Demetri explore how we got to this point, what it means for our society, and how we might begin to engage in the moral and political renewal required to fix it.

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Episode Recorded on 12/14/2020

Transcript

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0:00.0	The Hidden Forces Podcast features long-formed conversations, broken into two parts,
0:05.3	the second hour of which is made available to our premium subscribers,
0:09.3	along with transcripts and notes to each conversation.
0:13.0	For more information about how to access the episode overtime's, transcripts, and
0:17.3	rundowns, head over to patreon.com slash Hidden Forces.
0:22.1	You can also sign up to our mailing list at Hidden Forces. You can also sign up to our mailing list at Hiddenforces.io.
0:26.0	Follow us on Twitter at Hidden Forces pod and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.
0:32.0	And with that, please enjoy this week's episode. What's up, up up everybody? My guest on this episode of Hidden Forces is Michael Sandell,
0:59.4	Professor of Government Theory at Harvard University Law School, host of the BBC series The Public
1:06.4	philosopher, and author of numerous best-selling books, including his latest, The Tyranny of Merit. I was inspired to invite Michael onto
1:16.5	the podcast after seeing his work cited by Thomas Ricks in his book, First Principles,
1:22.4	dealing with the subject of civic virtue or public-mindedness.
1:26.9	But to be honest, I didn't go out looking to do an episode on Meritocratic ethics or
1:31.5	what makes for a good society. But as I reflected on what I wanted
1:35.8	this discussion to be about, I kept coming back to this question about the public good
1:41.3	or the common good, as Michael refers to it, and what's become of it.
1:46.0	What's become of our sense of indebtedness to our community?
1:50.0	And do we have a responsibility to participate in making it a better place, not only for ourselves
1:56.0	and our families, but for everyone?
1:58.9	I think we do, but I also think that our society has become so Darwinian in how we think about success and failure
2:06.2	That many of us find it difficult to concentrate on anything other than our own survival.
2:13.2	And when we do finally make it, it's easy to get swept up
	...

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