Does meritocracy create a better world for everyone, or does it create massive inequality? There's been a lot of debate in the last few years about meritocracy, and it's become even more pressing in light of the pandemic. If essential workers are "essential", are they really less meritorious than a banker or accountant? So, we decided to discuss both sides o ... Show More
Feb 19
How Inequality Distorts the Law - ft. Katharina Pistor
If we want to understand why capitalism feels broken, do we need to stop looking at the economy and start looking at the legal code that underpins it? In our system, capital is often described as money, machinery, or raw materials. But Columbia Law School professor Katharina Pist ... Show More
48m 57s
Jun 2022
265. Meritocracy or Else | Dr. Adrian Wooldridge
Dr. Adrian Wooldridge is a political editor at The Economist and author of the new book ‘The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World.’
In this episode, Dr. Wooldridge and I discuss how his new book has been received, the history of meritocracy, how IQ testin ... Show More
1h 22m
Sep 2021
Debate: Michael Sandel vs Adrian Wooldridge on Meritocracy
Meritocracy has long been an article of faith in the modern Western world. Get an education, work hard and the rewards of success will be yours, regardless of class, privilege or wealth. But recently meritocracy has come under attack, with the charge led by Michael Sandel, the Ha ... Show More
1h 2m
Jun 2021
Daily: Is MERITOCRACY a myth?
When people end up in a job or position they love, was it because they worked hard in school, or did they just get lucky? Why is the idea of progressing on merit under threat? Is there a way we can modernise it for the 21st century? Should we we even try?
Adrian Wooldridge, Polit ... Show More
30m 28s
Jul 2023
#205 — The Failure of Meritocracy
Sam Harris speaks with Daniel Markovits about the problems with meritocracy. They discuss the nature of inequality in the United States, the disappearance of the leisure class, the difference between labor and capital as sources of inequality, the way the education system amplifi ... Show More
44m 44s
May 2020
#205 — The Failure of Meritocracy
Sam Harris speaks with Daniel Markovits about the problems with meritocracy. They discuss the nature of inequality in the United States, the disappearance of the leisure class, the difference between labor and capital as sources of inequality, the way the education system amplifi ... Show More
58m 59s
Nov 2023
Exploring American Inequality (with Nobel Laureate Angus Deaton)
No matter which indicator you’re using, American inequality has been increasing in recent decades. Whether you’re measuring the growing wealth gap, the stagnant wages of the middle class, or the concentration of wealth and power among a small group of elites, every indicator unfa ... Show More
44m 42s
