Making Sense with Sam Harris

#221 — Success, Failure, & the Common Good

Oct 22, 2020

Michael Sandel, a renowned political philosopher from Harvard, chats about the troubling facets of meritocracy. He explores how higher education shapes societal hierarchies, calling it a modern caste system. Sandel critiques the myth of the self-made man, emphasizing that luck plays a crucial role in success. The conversation urges a rethinking of how we value human achievement and addresses the ethics of our tax system. It’s a compelling discussion on fairness, expertise, and the intertwining of wealth and societal worth.

46:48

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Episode guests

Michael Sandel

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

Exploring Political Philosophy and Justice

2min

The Paradoxes of Meritocracy

24min

Rethinking Technocratic Capitalism

7min

The Paradox of Meritocracy

9min

The Caste System of Higher Education

3min

Sam Harris speaks with Michael Sandel about the problem with meritocracy . They discuss the dark side of the concept of merit, the pernicious myth of the self-made man, the moral significance of luck, the backlash against "elites" and expertise, how we value human excellence, the connection between wealth and value creation, the ethics of the tax code, higher education as a sorting mechanism for a caste system, alternatives to 4-year colleges, and other topics.

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