Arlie Hochschild, New York Times Book Review Now's a good time for both sides to sit down for a very serious talk, with The Tyranny of Merit required reading for all.'

'Many of us need what does so well: help us grapple with the unexpected and uncomfortable questions that history delivers us. The Tyranny of Merit points us toward a hopeful vision of a new politics of the common good. 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 solidarity, and more affirming of the dignity of work. Sandel shows the hubris a meritocracy generates among the winners and the harsh judgement it imposes on those left behind, and traces the dire consequences across a wide swath of American life. Sandel argues that to overcome the crises that are upending our world, we must rethink the attitudes toward success and failure that have accompanied globalization and rising inequality. The consequence is a brew of anger and frustration that has fueled populist protest and extreme polarization, and led to deep distrust of both government and our fellow citizens-leaving us morally unprepared to face the profound challenges of our time. Stalled social mobility and entrenched inequality give the lie to the American credo that you can make it if you try. We live in an age of winners and losers, where the odds are stacked in favor of the already fortunate. The world-renowned philosopher and author of the bestselling Justice explores the central question of our time: What has become of the common good?

A Times Literary Supplement's Book of the Year 2020

Tyranny book