The Tyranny of Merit

What's Become of the Common Good?

By: Michael J. Sandel

Narrated by: Michael J. Sandel

Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

This program is read by the author.

The world-renowned philosopher and author of the best-selling Justice explores the central question of our time: What has become of the common good?

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 fosters among the winners and the indignities it inflicts on those left behind. And he offers an alternative way of thinking about success - more attentive to the role of luck in human affairs, more conducive to an ethic of humility and solidarity, and more affirming of the dignity of work. The Tyranny of Merit points us toward a hopeful vision of a new politics of the common good.

A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux

"This is a remarkable book about justice. In his unique and powerful moral voice, Michael Sandel digs at the roots of our divisions, dissects the causes of inequality, and dismantles the lazy orthodoxy of those on the left and the right. Accessible and profound, The Tyranny of Merit is a revelatory assessment of pervasive unfairness in our society, driven in part by a naïve and myopic reliance on the notion of merit. In a time of easy rhetoric and thoughtless tribalism, this provocative book is a must-read for anyone who still cares about the common good. You will catch yourself wondering, again and again, 'Why have I never thought of it that way?' No good faith reader will come away from this book unchanged." (Preet Bharara, former US Attorney for the Southern District of New York and author of Doing Justice: A Prosecutor’s Thoughts on Crime, Punishment, and the Rule of Law)

"Astute, insightful, and empathetic, Sandel exposes the cruelty at the heart of some of our most beloved myths about success. A must-read for anyone struggling to understand populist resentment, and why, for many Americans, the American Dream has come to feel more like a taunt than a promise. This book is just what we need right now." (Tara Westover, author of Educated)

"The Tyranny of Merit deftly exposes the flaws and fallacies of meritocratic philosophy. In lucid, illuminating prose, Sandel makes a compelling case for uprooting inequality and building a fairer society shaped by true principles of justice. A seminal work." (Darren Walker, president, Ford Foundation)

©2020 Michael J. Sandel (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Astute, insightful, and empathetic, Sandel exposes the cruelty at the heart of some of our most beloved myths about success. A must-read for anyone struggling to understand populist resentment, and why, for many Americans, the American Dream has come to feel more like a taunt than a promise. This book is just what we need right now.” (Tara Westover, author of Educated)

“The Tyranny of Merit deftly exposes the flaws and fallacies of meritocratic philosophy. In lucid, illuminating prose, Sandel makes a compelling case for uprooting inequality and building a fairer society shaped by true principles of justice. A seminal work.” (Darren Walker, president, Ford Foundation)

Digesting and Massaging

I am still digesting this book...lot to digest. In my simple mind I was reminded of when there were a lot of flack about how children ...all children should be given recognition. A child who won a race, competition etc. shouldn't be the only one recognized or awaded...all who participated should be recognized..

I found the parts about how the financial...speculations d ok nvm"t contributors to actual growth depressing and truthful. I as ls I feel higher education has not contributed in teaching g, exposing the minds to CiVIC duty or addressing how common good is an important mor a l and ethical principle we should valye.

As I wrote I am digesting this book like another book "Evil Geniouses" which I found dovetails with this study/ st ory. I liked how the a author commented on Warren Buffett who expressed his bewilderment of Americans not enraged how whe markets were keept the growth of in c one inequality. growing.

Not the origin but movies like Wall Street ushered in the glamourization of Greed and made breaking our concept of a "Social Cintract" acceptable and in a way an essential principle "to get ahead."

I. Hope and wish we can find a way out of this messy nightmare. I understand what was said about "Credentialism" but if one doesn''t even have sense, common sense "Credentials/Degree" doesn't really help one. Can't have d I discussions if th e p series involved doesn't have common sense as a starting point.

Interesting thesis. Monotonous reading

I struggled to keep my attention on the (interesting and important) subject due to the very monotonous reading.

Exceptionally Well Written and Spoken

Having previously understood that a meritocracy included the best of what democracy had to offer, I came away from this book with a much deeper understanding of the root of meritocracy and the insidiousness it can cause in the losers. Much of the world has stepped away from placing value on labor. Instead, we see a pursuit of higher education by the privileged, who (often with scorn) think little of the laborer. Openly mocking the uneducated is perhaps one of the few tolerated social bigotries, but it is bigotry no less. He speaks against this practice, a practice that has become far too common. He explains the rise of populist and nationalist movements the world over as responses to globalization and the tyranny of merit. On the tax code, his conclusion of eliminating income tax and adding a financial transaction fee on speculative financial instruments is an excellent approach. In many places, in particular the US, the tax code benefits the wealthy. Those who engage in speculative, high speed trading, which provides no actual boon to the economy either in goods produced or jobs created pay only a fraction of the tax placed on the working middle class. The tax code awards those individuals in part because of a misplaced belief that those people at the top have earned their place. I also appreciated his solutions to inequitable college admissions to elite universities, places where legacy students and children of financial donors stand at the front of line. You can put this on 1.8x and understand everything perfectly. Highly recommend. This won’t take long to get through and it’s well worth your time.

Worth reading it

Good reading, some great data and wow moments. It gets repetitive in the end and too much US reality oriented.
Still worth it! And I recommend.

Hot Dog i Won a Cookie

Mr. Sandel is an insightful man.
I’m a recently retired Local 1 Carpenter out of Chicago.
Loved this book!

Excelente! Um livro que, após lido, faz pensar diferente!

Excelente! Este livro aborda, com muita clareza, os riscos que corremos ao adotarmos a meritocracia como um valor, um ideal, e utilizá-la para justificar as desigualdades. Interessante também o resultado da pesquisa sobre os preconceitos que as pessoas com nível superior (graduação) possuem sobre as que não têm. Este é mais um livro fantástico do Michael Sandel, do mesmo nível do “Justiça: a coisa certa a fazer.” Impossível lê-lo e terminar pensando o que se pensava antes.

Excellence

Every left of center supporter of higher education should read this book. Excellent research, writing, and articulation.

Dignity

Insightful and well reasoned critique of meritocracy and angry Trumpian reactions thereto alike. Needs further thought, though, about restoration of respect for the dignity of all work as a solution. Work, at least as that word has been defined to date, is rapidly disappearing. Technology will send it the way of stone tools in a future much closer than we imagine. An understanding even more difficult to reach than is respect for the dignity of all types of work will thus be required. That understanding is respect for the dignity of each individual human being. Good luck humankind!

Phenomenal!!

Loved it! Very thought-provoking and timely. Great argument for more humility and solidarity in our current society.

Allows for some true reflection on life

Every now and then I stumble upon a book that truly enriches my life and allows me to think more critically and clearly. This is one of these books. Especially if you are interested in the never ending discussion about a meritocracy and equality of opportunity vs equality of outcome/result, you should read this book! It will almost certainly enrich your views and sharpen your understanding about one of the most oversimplified matters of our todays discourse.