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  • The Tyranny of Merit

  • What's Become of the Common Good?
  • Written by: Michael J. Sandel
  • Narrated by: Michael J. Sandel
  • Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (51 ratings)

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The Tyranny of Merit

Written by: Michael J. Sandel
Narrated by: Michael J. Sandel
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Publisher's Summary

This program is read by the author.

The world-renowned philosopher and author of the best-selling Justice explores the central question of our time: What has become of the common good?

These are dangerous times for democracy. We live in an age of winners and losers, where the odds are stacked in favor of the already fortunate. Stalled social mobility and entrenched inequality give the lie to the American credo that "you can make it if you try". The consequence is a brew of anger and frustration that has fueled populist protest and extreme polarization and led to deep distrust of both government and our fellow citizens - leaving us morally unprepared to face the profound challenges of our time.

World-renowned philosopher Michael J. Sandel argues that to overcome the crises that are upending our world, we must rethink the attitudes toward success and failure that have accompanied globalization and rising inequality. Sandel shows the hubris a meritocracy fosters among the winners and the indignities it inflicts on those left behind. And he offers an alternative way of thinking about success - more attentive to the role of luck in human affairs, more conducive to an ethic of humility and solidarity, and more affirming of the dignity of work. The Tyranny of Merit points us toward a hopeful vision of a new politics of the common good.

A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux

"This is a remarkable book about justice. In his unique and powerful moral voice, Michael Sandel digs at the roots of our divisions, dissects the causes of inequality, and dismantles the lazy orthodoxy of those on the left and the right. Accessible and profound, The Tyranny of Merit is a revelatory assessment of pervasive unfairness in our society, driven in part by a naïve and myopic reliance on the notion of merit. In a time of easy rhetoric and thoughtless tribalism, this provocative book is a must-read for anyone who still cares about the common good. You will catch yourself wondering, again and again, 'Why have I never thought of it that way?' No good faith reader will come away from this book unchanged." (Preet Bharara, former US Attorney for the Southern District of New York and author of Doing Justice: A Prosecutor’s Thoughts on Crime, Punishment, and the Rule of Law)

"Astute, insightful, and empathetic, Sandel exposes the cruelty at the heart of some of our most beloved myths about success. A must-read for anyone struggling to understand populist resentment, and why, for many Americans, the American Dream has come to feel more like a taunt than a promise. This book is just what we need right now." (Tara Westover, author of Educated)

"The Tyranny of Merit deftly exposes the flaws and fallacies of meritocratic philosophy. In lucid, illuminating prose, Sandel makes a compelling case for uprooting inequality and building a fairer society shaped by true principles of justice. A seminal work." (Darren Walker, president, Ford Foundation)

©2020 Michael J. Sandel (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

What the critics say

“Astute, insightful, and empathetic, Sandel exposes the cruelty at the heart of some of our most beloved myths about success. A must-read for anyone struggling to understand populist resentment, and why, for many Americans, the American Dream has come to feel more like a taunt than a promise. This book is just what we need right now.” (Tara Westover, author of Educated)

“The Tyranny of Merit deftly exposes the flaws and fallacies of meritocratic philosophy. In lucid, illuminating prose, Sandel makes a compelling case for uprooting inequality and building a fairer society shaped by true principles of justice. A seminal work.” (Darren Walker, president, Ford Foundation)

What listeners say about The Tyranny of Merit

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Shifted my worldview

I was having trouble making sense of the rise of populism. Sandel offers a credible explanation

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  • JMS
  • 2021-03-16

Sandel attacks "rhetoric of rising"

What I enjoyed most about this book was Sandel’s exploration of a distinctly American flavour of meritocracy…. rooted in centuries-old Puritan teachings about predestination and being among god’s elect, as well contemporary ideas about the Protestant work ethic and extreme individualism, including popular culture renditions of the American dream and self-actualisation. The focus on the United States makes sense here, since its meritocratic ideals are coupled with historic rates of disparity in wealth. But denial of this simple fact prevails. Surveys show that 70% of Americans think the poor can make it out of poverty on their own, thanks to America’s unique opportunities. Sandel cites research revealing that the poor have more chance of achieving the quote unquote American Dream of rags to riches, if they live in Canada or Denmark.

Complete review available on the Audiobook Reviews in Five Minutes podcast

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Equal opportunity is not enough

I’m always thrilled to find a work of philosophy that truly changes my opinion. I want equal opportunity to be the answer because it is so easy to imagine. It is no where near sufficient for the task before us as citizens of a liberal democracy.

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Required reading

Sandel’s thesis represents a cogent, analytical and piercing response to the societal decay and the requisite economic and political upheaval in the form of grotesque inequity and the rise of authoritarianism that characterizes our times. This book should be required reading for every politician at every level. A full and vigorous debate of the ideas contained in this book will go a long way to undoing the damage done to our Western societies by four decades of unfettered neoliberal market ideologies coupled with a perverted meritocracy that leaves people damaged and hopeless - as both winners and losers at the same time.

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Unbelievable

The facts were hard hitting and the arguments were strong. Could have gone deeper into some of them. the premise of the myth of meritocracy was well supported. Poor audio quality only thing preventing 5 stars.

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Good point poorly done

Many issues addressed are needing attention. Detail in the obvious then makes claims without evidence.

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Needs a history and theology lesson.

Disappointing analysis of the History. He was very picky with how he used history to prove his point. Rather than analyzing all countries and then concluding, he cherry picked a few examples proving his hypothesis. His use of the Bible is fit for a a first year seminary student at best. When using the Bible one must first understand the words and understand the context of the time and then come to an understanding of the meaning at that time. He however picked and chose parts that seemed to agree with him. Using his method of biblical interpretation I could easily destroy his hypothesis. But that is not how we use the Bible.

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