The Tyranny of Merit

Michael Sandel, political philosopher and author, challenges one of liberal society’s most cherished beliefs: that meritocracy is fair and desirable. He argues that the ideal of merit—the notion that success reflects talent and effort—has become tyrannical, creating a society where winners feel entitled to their success and losers feel blamed for their failure. This dynamic, Sandel contends, has fueled resentment, polarization, and the populist backlash we see across Western democracies. The promise that “you can make it if you try” sounds generous but carries a harsh corollary: if you don’t make it, it’s your own fault.

Sandel traces how both progressive and conservative politics embraced meritocratic rhetoric, particularly around higher education as the solution to inequality. “If you work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to go to college and get ahead” became a mantra that implicitly devalued those without degrees. The result is a credential arms race, spiraling debt, and what Sandel calls “the hubris of the successful” who believe their achievements are entirely self-made, ignoring luck, circumstance, and inherited advantages. Meanwhile, the majority without elite degrees face stagnant wages and are told their struggles result from their own inadequacy.

The talk offers a diagnosis of the cultural and political moment that goes deeper than left-right divisions. Sandel calls for a reconsideration of work, dignity, and contribution that doesn’t hinge entirely on credentials or market value. For anyone troubled by rising inequality and political polarization, Sandel provides a framework that connects these phenomena to the erosion of the common good and the winner-take-all mentality of meritocratic sorting. It’s a challenging, necessary conversation about whether our current definitions of success and failure are serving democracy or undermining it.