Summary of Michael J. Sandel's The Tyranny of Merit

Everest Media

Description

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.
Sample Book Insights:
#1 The rise of populism and xenophobia is a danger to democracy, and it is up to the mainstream parties to understand and address these grievances.
#2 The first diagnosis is that populist anger is a backlash against growing racial, ethnic, and gender diversity. The second is that it is a result of the rapid pace of change in an age of globalization and technology. But in reality, it is the result of a political failure.
#3 The technocratic conception of politics is tied to a faith in markets, which has led to growing inequality and a devaluing of national identities. Meanwhile, the technocratic approach to governance has narrowed the scope of democratic argument and produced a growing sense of disempowerment.
#4 During Obama's presidency, he showed that progressive politics could speak a language of moral and spiritual purpose. But after his presidency, the Democratic Party seemed to lose its moral compass, and its policies towards Wall Street did not address the public anger towards them.

Sujets

• Général
• Ideology

Informations

• Publié par: Everest Media LLC
• Date de parution: 28 mars 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781669369936
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Insights on Michael J. Sandel's The Tyranny of Merit
Contents Insights from Chapter 1 Insights from Chapter 2 Insights from Chapter 3 Insights from Chapter 4 Insights from Chapter 5 Insights from Chapter 6 Insights from Chapter 7
Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The rise of populism and xenophobia is a danger to democracy, and it is up to the mainstream parties to understand and address these grievances.

#2

The first diagnosis is that populist anger is a backlash against growing racial, ethnic, and gender diversity. The second is that it is a result of the rapid pace of change in an age of globalization and technology. But in reality, it is the result of a political failure.

#3

The technocratic conception of politics is tied to a faith in markets, which has led to growing inequality and a devaluing of national identities. Meanwhile, the technocratic approach to governance has narrowed the scope of democratic argument and produced a growing sense of disempowerment.

#4

During Obama's presidency, he showed that progressive politics could speak a language of moral and spiritual purpose. But after his presidency, the Democratic Party seemed to lose its moral compass, and its policies towards Wall Street did not address the public anger towards them.

#5

The American dream of rising up from poverty to wealth is not happening for many people. It is becoming more and more difficult to rise in America, and the countries with the highest mobility tend to have the greatest equality.

#6

The explosion of inequality in recent decades has not quickened upward mobility, but has enabled those on top to consolidate their advantages and pass them on to their children.

#7

The problem with meritocracy is not only that it falls short of the ideal, but also that it promotes the morally unattractive attitudes of hubris among the winners and resentment among the losers.

#8

The politics of humiliation differs from the politics of injustice in that it is not outwardly directed. It is resentment towards the winners, combined with self-doubt and the thought that perhaps the winners are more deserving than the losers.

#9

Trump’s economic policies were extremely unfair to many of his working-class supporters, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that he was trying to protect America from being laughed at.

#10

The notion that the meritorious should govern is not unique to our time. In ancient China, Confucius taught that those who excelled in virtue and ability should govern. In ancient Greece, Plato imagined a society led by a philosopher-king supported by a public-spirited class of guardians.

#11

The technocratic meritocracy has failed as a mode of governance, and it has also narrowed the scope of the common good. Today, the common good is primarily understood in economic terms.

#12

Young’s theory of meritocracy states that if class barriers are overcome, the winners will feel their success is a just reward for their capacity, efforts, and achievement, while the losers will feel they have no one to blame but themselves.
Insights from Chapter 2

#1

Merit is the basis of hiring, and it is a good and sensible practice. However, it can also be the source of resentment, which can lead to political changes.

#2

The idea that society should reward economic success based on merit is appealing for several reasons. It promotes efficiency and renounces discrimination. It also affirms a certain idea of freedom, which is that our destiny is in our hands and that we are not victims of circumstance but masters of our fate.

#3

The idea that our fate is based on our merit is deep-rooted in Western culture. This viewpoint is the origin of meritocratic thinking, which believes that the moral universe is arranged in a way that aligns prosperity with merit and suffering with wrongdoing.

#4

When God finally speaks to Job, he rejects the cruel logic of blaming the victim. He does so by renouncing the meritocratic assumption that Job and his companions share. Not everything that happens is a reward or a punishment for human behavior.

#5

The question of merit reappears in Christian debates about salvation: can the faithful earn salvation through religious observance and good works, or is God entirely free to decide whom to save, regardless of how people live their lives.

#6

The Protestant Reformation was born out of the anti-meritocratic doctrine of grace. It rejected salvation by good works and left no room for human freedom or self-making.