Michael Sandel's critique of meritocracy, arguing that the rhetoric of deserving success has corroded the common good.
Books mentioned in The Tyranny of Merit (19)
The Rise of the Meritocracy by Michael Young: “In 1958, he wrote a book called The Rise of the Meritocracy.3 For Young, meritocracy described a dystopia, not an ideal.”
A Theory of Justice by John Rawls: “In his classic work A Theory of Justice (1971), Rawls argues that even a system of fair equality of opportunity...would not make for a just society.”
The Constitution of Liberty by Friedrich A. Hayek: “In his book The Constitution of Liberty (1960), Hayek argues that the only equality compatible with freedom is the purely formal equality of all citizens before the law.”
Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville: “Dwight D. Eisenhower, who attributed it, mistakenly, to Alexis de Tocqueville, author of the classic work Democracy in America.”
The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith: “'Consumption is the sole end and purpose of all production,' Adam Smith declared in The Wealth of Nations.”
The Future of Socialism by Anthony Crosland: “Hayek cites the British Labour Party figure Anthony Crosland, whose influential book The Future of Socialism (1956) also emphasized the demoralizing effect that a meritocracy can have on those who do not rise.”
The Best and the Brightest by David Halberstam: “One of the most ruinous examples of credentialism gone awry is described in David Halberstam's classic book The Best and the Brightest.”
The Epic of America by James Truslow Adams: “a writer named James Truslow Adams wrote a paean to his country entitled The Epic of America.”
Excellence by John W. Gardner: “In a book entitled Excellence (1961), John W. Gardner, a foundation president...expressed the spirit of the new meritocratic age.”
Equality by R. H. Tawney: “In a book entitled Equality (1931), R. H. Tawney, a British economic historian and social critic, argued that equality of opportunity is at best a partial ideal.”
The Price of Privilege by Madeline Levine: “In a book entitled The Price of Privilege, Levine described what she called a 'mental health epidemic among privileged youth.'”
Flash Boys by Michael Lewis: “Consider a concrete example. In his book Flashboys, Michael Lewis tells the story of a company that laid a fiber-optic cable linking Chicago futures traders with New York stock markets.”
The Once and Future Worker by Oren Cass: “In an insightful book, The Once and Future Worker, Oren Cass offers a series of proposals that address the grievances Trump tapped but failed to resolve.”
Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut: “In a short story called 'Harrison Bergeron,' the author Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., imagines a dystopian future in which those with superior intelligence...are required to wear elaborate encumbrances and disguises.”
On Human Work (Laborem Exercens) by Pope John Paul II: “In a 1981 Encyclical Letter, 'On Human Work,' Pope John Paul II stated that through work man 'achieves fulfillment as a human being.'”
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison: “'To be without work, to be without use to one's fellow citizens, is to be in truth the Invisible Man of whom Ralph Ellison wrote.'”
Harry Potter (series) by J. K. Rowling: “He offers, as examples, Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, and J. K. Rowling, author of the wildly popular Harry Potter books.”