The Tyranny of Merit

These are dangerous times for democracy. We live in an age of winners and losers, where the odds are stacked in favour of the already fortunate. Stalled social mobility and entrenched inequality give the lie to the promise that "you can make it if you try". And the consequence is a brew of anger and frustration that has fuelled populist protest, with the triumph of Brexit and e...

These are dangerous times for democracy. We live in an age of winners and losers, where the odds are stacked in favour of the already fortunate. Stalled social mobility and entrenched inequality give the lie to the promise that "you can make it if you try". And the consequence is a brew of anger and frustration that has fuelled populist protest, with the triumph of Brexit and election of Donald Trump.

Michael J. Sandel argues that to overcome the polarized politics of our time, we must rethink the attitudes toward success and failure that have accompanied globalisation and rising inequality. Sandel highlights the hubris a meritocracy generates among the winners and the harsh judgement it imposes on those left behind. 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 more hospitable to a politics of the common good.

迈克尔·桑德尔（Michael J.Sandel）

著名哲学家，哈佛大学政治哲学教授，美国艺术与科学院院士，索邦大学客座教授，牛津大学博士。

桑德尔是社群主义代表人物，坚持批判自由主义的个人观，反思公共生活与公民问题，其代表作《公正》《金钱不能买什么》被翻译成27种语言，畅销全球并引起热议。美国政治学会授予其特别成就奖，《外交政策》评选他为“全球杰出思想家”之一。

桑德尔致力于“公民教育”的通识理念，他的传奇公开课《公正》是哈佛大学历史上累计听课人数最多的课程之一，也是哈佛大学第一门在网上免费开放的课程。他擅长采用苏格拉底的问答式教学法，通过对极端假设或热点新闻的讨论引导学生主动思考、公开辩论。

桑德尔的教室从校园延伸至全世界，讲学足迹遍及各国，他曾多次来到中国，在北京大学、清华大学、华东师范大学等高校演讲。