Tyranny of Merit

by Michael Sandel

David Brooks reported in his column of July 1 in the New York Times that 69% of Americans surveyed believe America is a country where, if you get a good education, develop your talents and are open to innovation, you can do anything. The reason for this belief is that the majority of Americans believe in a meritocracy and that the US is a good example of one.

The “elite” agree with the majority of Americans about meritocracy. Michael Sandel in his book The Tyranny of Merit is not so sure and sees a dark side to this. If we deserve what we have, then, the same must hold true for the people who have very little or nothing which leads them to despair. Even getting everyone to the starting line still may not enable them to succeed and Sandel cites multiple reasons and examples of why this is so. The author successfully describes why so many are angry and resentful and, according to the author, often vote for Trump. Others who consider themselves “elite” suffer from hubris. (As the saying goes, “They were born on third base but think they’ve hit a triple.”) Sandel describes this problem well while raising other troubling issues, such as deaths of despair. But he does not succeed in providing solutions that are workable. 

Our book club struggled (one member described the discussion as “spirited’) over whether we are really a meritocracy or actually a plutocracy.

Fred G. Davis