Aug 14, 2020 • 1HR 0M

Is It Time to Abandon Meritocracy? A Debate with Michael Sandel

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Yascha Mounk
The podcast that searches for the ideas, policies and strategies that can beat authoritarian populism.
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Michael Sandel, one of the most influential political philosophers of our time, makes a provocative argument: Meritocracy allows successful people to feel good about themselves, without doing very much to address the plight of those who are less fortunate. So it is time to abandon the ideal.

In this conversation about Sandel’s new book, The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good?, I debate these themes with him. Should we really throw the pursuit of meritocracy on the trash heap of history? Or would it be better to ensure that our society actually lives up to the meritocratic ideal (while ensuring that everyone, successful or not, can have a decent life)?

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