The tyranny of merit by Michael Sandel

/ Speech Recap /

Michael Sandel criticizes Meritocracy.
Meritocracy is a social system in which people get success or power because of their abilities.

Meritocratic elites say that if you cannot flourish in the new economy, your failure is your fault.

Michael Sandel questions this meritocratic elites' view.
Was their success really their own doing?

The good fortune helped them.

Everybody doesn't have an equal chance to rise.

Children born to poor families tend to stay poor when they grow up.
Affluent parents are able to pass their advantages onto their kids.

Insisting that my success is my due makes it hard to see myself in other people's shoes.

Meritocracy leads to hubris among the winners and humiliation among those who lose out.

But all labor has dignity.

We should renew the dignity of work.

Work is not only about making a living, it's also about contributing to society.

We often assume that the money people contribute to society.
But this is a mistake.

Today's pandemic reveals how deeply we rely on workers like, delivery workers, maintenance workers, grocery store clerks and truckers.

They're not the best pay or most honored workers.
But we see them as essential workers.

Dignified employment and decent income enable us to say,

"I helped to build this country. I am a participant in its great public ventures."

This civic sentiment is largely missing from our public life today.

We should focus more on making life better for people who make essential contributions to our society.

Source/ TED Talk

The tyranny of merit