Why this book?
- It offers a philosophical critique of the meritocratic ideal, one that few dare to question.
- It shows why even a perfect meritocracy is morally and politically doubtful.
- It explains populist anger against elites through the hubris of winners and the humiliation of losers.
- From education and credentialism to the dignity of work, it examines issues readers face every day.
- It brings the notion of the "common good" back into political and moral debate.
About the book
Michael Sandel, a political philosopher and professor at Harvard University, takes up in The Tyranny of Merit one of the most widely accepted principles of Western liberal democracies, and of America in particular: the principle of merit, the belief that in a good society each person rises to the position and rewards that their talent and hard work deserve. The book was published in 2020 and continues Sandel's long-standing concerns with justice and the common good.
The central argument is that the problem with meritocracy is not merely that it falls short of its ideal in practice. If that were the problem, the remedy would be to provide equal opportunity. Sandel asks whether even a perfect meritocracy is desirable, morally and politically. How far are our talents really up to us, and why should someone whose talents the market society happens to prize deserve far greater rewards? He also shows that this system fosters hubris among the winners and humiliation and resentment among the losers, and he reads the populist revolt against elites less as a protest against immigration and outsourcing than as a revolt against the tyranny of merit.
The book moves through seven chapters and a conclusion, with titles such as "Winners and Losers," "The Rhetoric of Rising," "Credentialism: The Last Acceptable Prejudice," "The Morality of Success," "The Sorting Machine," and "Recognizing Work." The conclusion, "Merit and the Common Good," brings the argument back to the question of social solidarity and the value of work in shared life.
The book will interest readers of political philosophy, those who follow world politics, and anyone thinking about inequality, education, and populism. Many of Sandel's examples come from American society, but his questions about success, desert, and the honoring of work can be debated in any society. The Persian translation is by Saba Norouzi, published by Ketab-e Parseh Publishing.
The problem with meritocracy is not only that in practice it fails to live up to its ideal. If that were the problem, the remedy would be to provide equal opportunity in a society where people, regardless of where they start in life, can rise as far as their hard work and talent allow. But it is doubtful that even a perfect and complete meritocracy would be a good thing, morally or politically. Morally, it is still unclear why talented people deserve the enormous rewards that market-driven societies shower on those who succeed. The moral foundation of meritocracy is the idea that we are not entitled to rewards, nor should we be penalized, for factors beyond our control. But is having (or lacking) particular talents really up to us? If not, it is hard to see why those who flourish thanks to their talents deserve greater advantages than those who are just as hard-working but less endowed with the gifts that a market society prizes. Those who honor the meritocratic ideal and make it the core of their political project overlook this moral dimension. They also overlook something with a stronger political dimension: the corrosive moral attitudes that meritocracy has fostered among both winners and losers. Among the winners, hubris, and among the losers, humiliation, resentment and shame. These moral attitudes lie at the heart of the populist revolt against elites. The populist revolt is less a protest against immigrants and outsourcing than a revolt against the tyranny of merit, and not without reason.The Tyranny of Merit, Michael Sandel, translated by Saba Norouzi
From the table of contents
- 1Winners and Losers
- 2"We Are Great Because We Deserve It"
- 3The Rhetoric of Rising
- 4Credentialism: The Last Acceptable Prejudice
- 5The Morality of Success
- 6The Sorting Machine
- 7Recognizing Work
- 8Merit and the Common Good