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The Tyranny of Merit

Michael J. Sandel, 2020

Sandel argues that faith in merit breeds hubris among winners and humiliation among everyone else. Read it to see why equal opportunity alone cannot heal a divided country.

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6 parts, about 20 minutes to read.

Why read it

  • Argues that the ideal of rising by merit breeds hubris among winners and humiliation among those left behind
  • Helps you see populist anger as a response to disrespect for work, not only to lost income or cultural change
  • A political philosopher's case, from college admissions to the dignity of work, for a broader equality of condition

Who it is for

  • Parents and students caught in the college admissions race
  • Readers puzzled by the populist backlash
  • Educators and policy makers who talk about opportunity

What the summary covers

  1. The Anger Beneath the Pandemic4 min
  2. How Merit Drove Out Grace2 min
  3. The Rhetoric of Rising and the Rule of the Credentialed4 min
  4. Would a Perfect Meritocracy Be Just?2 min
  5. The Sorting Machine4 min
  6. Recognizing Work and the Common Good4 min

Recommended by

  • Tara WestoverAuthor of Educated
    Astute, insightful, and empathetic, Sandel exposes the cruelty at the heart of some of our most beloved myths about success.
  • Preet BhararaFormer U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York
    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.
  • Anna Deavere SmithActress and playwright
    A very important book for this moment
  • Shashi TharoorAuthor and member of the Indian Parliament
    I cannot recommend it highly enough.

About the author

  • Michael J. SandelHarvard professor of government and political philosopher
    • Born 5 March 1953 in Minneapolis, Minnesota
    • B.A. in politics from Brandeis University in 1975
    • Rhodes Scholar; doctorate in politics from Balliol College, Oxford, in 1985 under Charles Taylor
    • Joined the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences in 1981
    • Gave the 2009 BBC Reith Lectures, A New Citizenship
    • Awarded the 2018 Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences
    • Awarded the 2025 Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture

Read it alongside

  • Puts it into practiceOutclassed

    Michael Sandel argues that recognition for contributing to the common good matters even more than compensation; Joan Williams argues for predistribution through jobs, wages, bargaining power and training, since cash alone cannot replace a respected role.

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