Book Summary: The Tyranny of Merit: What's Become of the Common Good?
Summary: Google Gemini synopsis of The Tyranny of Merit: What's Become of the Common Good? by Michael Sandel
Key Ideas: Meritocracy Myth
How Australia Really Works: The top 20% of Australian society rely heavily on the meritocracy myth to justify inequality. However, Australia is one of the easiest places for those with existing power and wealth to use socioeconomic segregation (or urban stratification), credentialism (and limit migrant competitors), networks (e.g. private schools), nepotism, coded norms, grey corruption, exploitation and intergenerational wealth transfer to rig the game in favour of their families.
Potential Solutions: TBC...
Details:
The Tyranny of Merit: What's Become of the Common Good? - A Comprehensive Summary
Michael J. Sandel's The Tyranny of Merit: What's Become of the Common Good? is a profound and urgent philosophical critique of the meritocratic ideal that has dominated Western political and economic thought for the last half-century. Sandel argues that meritocracy, far from being a purely just system, has become a source of division, resentment, and humiliation, fundamentally undermining the notion of the common good and fueling the populist backlash seen globally (Brexit, Trump, etc.). This book challenges the deep-seated belief—shared by liberals and conservatives alike—that success is primarily a product of individual talent and effort, and that those who succeed deserve their vast rewards, while those who fail have only themselves to blame.
The summary below delves into the book’s four core components: the moral and psychological corrosive effects of the meritocratic ethos, its historical and political evolution, its institutional mechanisms of exclusion (credentialism), and Sandel’s proposals for revitalizing civic solidarity through a focus on the dignity of work and the common good.
I. The Moral Corruption of the Meritocratic Ideal
Sandel begins by asserting that the fundamental problem with meritocracy is not merely that it is unachieved—that the playing field isn't truly level—but that even a perfect meritocracy would be undesirable. The ideal of a system where rewards are distributed strictly according to talent and effort carries profound negative moral and psychological consequences for both the winners and the losers.
A. The Paradox of Hubris and Humiliation
The central moral critique of meritocracy is its tendency to breed hubris among the successful and humiliation among those who are left behind.
Hubris of the Winners: Meritocracy tells those who succeed that their elevated status, wealth, and power are entirely earned—a reflection of their superior talent, hard work, and inherent moral worth. This self-congratulatory worldview, what Sandel calls the meritocratic conceit, strips away all sense of gift or contingency. If my success is entirely my own doing, then I owe nothing to luck, fate, or the community that educated and supported me. This hubris undermines solidarity and diminishes the capacity for compassion. Why share my wealth or worry about the less fortunate if I am self-made and they are merely self-failed? The successful feel morally justified in their superior position, leading to an academic aristocracy where elites retreat into their own social and economic spheres, insulated from the rest of society.
Humiliation of the Losers: Conversely, in a society ruled by merit, failure is interpreted as a moral condemnation. If the system is fair, and everyone truly has a chance to rise, then those who struggle—those who do not earn the coveted college degree or secure a high-status job—have no one to blame but themselves. Their failure is not seen as a systemic flaw or misfortune, but as a personal, moral failing—a lack of talent, insufficient effort, or poor choices. This feeling of being judged and found unworthy fosters deep resentment and humiliation among the working class and non-college-educated population. Sandel argues that this psychological injury, the inequality of esteem, is the primary source of the recent populist revolt, not just economic inequality alone.
B. The Banishing of Grace and Contingency
Sandel draws on historical and theological concepts, particularly the tension between merit and grace, to illustrate the moral vacuum created by the meritocratic ethos. In Christian doctrine, salvation is achieved through God’s grace, not by merit or works. This theological principle acknowledges that the good things in life are ultimately contingent—they are gifts, not achievements.
The secular meritocracy, however, has effectively banished the concept of grace. By insisting that we are wholly responsible for our fate, it confers a dizzying, yet often crushing, sense of freedom and control. Sandel reminds the reader that even our most prized assets—our talents, intelligence, and even the cultural values that encourage hard work—are matters of contingency. Being a highly compensated professional requires not just effort, but the luck of possessing skills that happen to be highly valued by the globalized market at a specific moment in time (e.g., being a star athlete, or a tech executive). Acknowledging this contingency is the basis for humility and solidarity—the awareness that "there but for the grace of God go I." The tyranny of merit eliminates this awareness, leading to a diminished common good.
II. The Political Rhetoric and Historical Evolution
Sandel charts how the meritocratic idea evolved from a genuine challenge to aristocracy into the tyranny of the present day, noting how the political language of the center-left, in particular, became an accomplice to the system it claimed to reform.
A. The Shift from "Equality of Condition" to "Equality of Opportunity"
Historically, democracy's goal was rooted in equality of condition and civic inclusion—the idea that all citizens, regardless of status, share equally in dignity and contribute to the common life. The meritocratic revolution, starting in the mid-20th century with educational reforms championed by figures like James Bryant Conant at Harvard, was designed to dismantle inherited privilege and hereditary aristocracy by instituting standardized tests and admissions based on ability.
However, this noble objective subtly morphed. The political language shifted its focus almost entirely to equality of opportunity—the "level playing field." The mantra became: everyone must have an equal chance to rise. This emphasis on rising, Sandel argues, validated and even celebrated the inequality that resulted from the competition. Once the field was supposedly level, any subsequent inequality was deemed fair and justified by individual merit. This framing moved the focus away from the common good and towards individual ambition and upward mobility, implicitly demeaning those who did not or could not "rise."
B. The Center-Left’s Complicity: The "Rhetoric of Rising"
Sandel delivers a particularly sharp critique of center-left parties (like the Democratic Party in the US and New Labour in the UK) under leaders such as Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Tony Blair. These leaders, instead of offering a moral alternative to the market-driven policies of the New Right, effectively ratified and moralized the prevailing economic trends of globalization and financialization.
The core political failure was the "rhetoric of rising," where the primary solution offered to the working class facing deindustrialization and economic precarity was to get a college degree. This message was doubly corrosive:
It offered a solution of individual self-improvement to a problem of systemic economic disruption. Instead of challenging the outsourcing of jobs or the dominance of the financial sector, the political elite told struggling citizens to retrain, reinvent themselves, and ascend the educational ladder.
It reinforced the judgment that those who failed to "rise" had failed themselves. The language was patronizing, positioning the elite as moralizing life-coaches urging the working class to shape up for the new meritocratic reality.
This political consensus, which promoted globalization as irreversible and lauded the "open", cosmopolitan elite over the "closed," community-minded populace, created a chasm of values and esteem. The populist backlash—the votes for Trump and Brexit—was, in Sandel’s analysis, not just an economic protest, but a revolt against the moral hierarchy of merit.
III. The Mechanisms of Exclusion: Credentialism and the Sorting Machine
The most visible institutional manifestation of the tyranny of merit is credentialism—the pervasive assumption that a four-year university degree, especially one from a prestigious institution, is the necessary and often sole prerequisite for a dignified job, social esteem, and political influence.
A. The Credentialist Prejudice
Sandel details how the focus on higher education has created a hierarchy of work that is unjust and inefficient.
Devaluation of Non-College Work: Credentialism dismisses the value and importance of occupations that do not require a bachelor's degree. This prejudice affects the vast majority of the population (in the US, roughly two-thirds of adults do not hold a four-year degree). It reduces meaningful, necessary work—such as plumbing, carpentry, elderly care, or manufacturing—to "unskilled" or "low-status" labor, even when these jobs are essential to the functioning of society (a truth made starkly clear during the COVID-19 pandemic). This devaluing of work directly contributes to the humiliation felt by non-college graduates.
Inefficiency and Misallocation: The focus on degrees often means that individuals are selected for jobs based on a credential that does not accurately reflect the skills required for the work itself. This over-credentialing is inefficient and creates a demoralizing job market where degrees are used primarily as a filtering mechanism for social status, rather than a guarantor of competence.
B. The Elite University as the "Sorting Machine"
Sandel dedicates significant attention to elite universities, arguing they are the central engine of the meritocratic tyranny.
Reinforcing Inequality: The rhetoric of merit claims elite schools offer a pathway for mobility, but the reality is that they primarily function to reproduce and legitimize privilege. Sandel cites data showing that at top American universities, there are typically more students from the wealthiest 1% of families than from the entire bottom half combined. The admissions process, even after removing explicit hereditary preferences, is heavily skewed by the massive resource advantage of wealthy parents (tutors, college counseling, test prep, legacy preferences, etc.). The 2019 college admissions scandal served as a perfect illustration of how far the wealthy will go to ensure their children receive the meritocratic stamp of approval.
Moral Corrosion of Competition: The intense, soul-crushing competition for admission to elite schools forces young people into a narrow, anxiety-ridden quest for perfection—a life optimized for the meritocratic race. This competition corrupts education itself, turning learning into a means to an end (admission) rather than an end in itself (cultivation and civic virtue). The very notion of "earning" admission to Harvard or Yale is a dangerous conceit, Sandel argues, because it ignores the profound role of luck, circumstance, and parental advantage.
IV. Reclaiming the Common Good: Contributive Justice and the Dignity of Work
Sandel concludes the book by calling for a fundamental reassessment of how we define success and value contributions to society. The solution lies not just in redistribution of wealth (distributive justice), but in restoring dignity and esteem to all forms of socially valuable work (contributive justice).
A. The Case for Contributive Justice
The traditional liberal focus on distributive justice (taxing the rich to provide welfare or public services) is necessary but insufficient. People desire not only a fair share of goods but also social recognition and the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to their community.
Sandel advocates for shifting the focus from the economic rewards of work to its social and civic contribution. Work is not merely a source of income; it is a vital source of identity, dignity, and self-esteem. A society that pays someone very little for a highly necessary job, while simultaneously moralizing their lack of a college degree, creates an inequality of esteem that no amount of redistribution alone can fix.
B. Revaluing Work and Dismantling the Hierarchy of Esteem
The path forward requires specific political and cultural changes to challenge the credentialist hierarchy and acknowledge the value of all socially productive labor.
Shifting the Tax Burden: Sandel suggests policy changes that would recognize and reward productive work over financial speculation. This could include a financial transactions tax to discourage speculative finance, and tax reforms that lower the burden on wages while increasing taxes on consumption and capital. The goal is to send a moral signal that the creation of tangible social value (i.e., making things, providing essential services) is esteemed, while paper shuffling and financial extraction are not.
Decoupling Work from Credentials: Policymakers must actively work to reduce the necessity of a four-year degree for positions where it is not truly required. This involves strengthening and elevating vocational and technical education and promoting apprenticeships as equally respected paths. The system must stop treating technical training as a "consolation prize" for those who couldn't get into university and instead recognize it as a valuable, dignified, and essential contribution to the common good.
Rethinking University Admissions: To dismantle the sorting machine, Sandel proposes radical changes to the admissions practices of elite universities, which are currently seen as high-stakes arbiters of meritocratic fate. One proposal, which draws on the element of contingency, is to implement an admissions lottery for qualified candidates. Once a candidate has met a high bar for competence and academic readiness, their admission could be decided randomly. This would decrease the insane pressure on students, restore a sense of humility (since admission is no longer "earned" solely through individual struggle), and fundamentally challenge the moral authority the elite university currently holds over society.
Conclusion: A Call for Humility and Solidarity
The Tyranny of Merit is ultimately a powerful plea for civic humility and the restoration of solidarity. Sandel argues that for democracy to thrive, citizens must share a sense of common life and mutual dependence. This shared life is impossible when the successful believe they are self-made and the struggling are deemed self-failed.
By acknowledging the contingency of our talents and the profound role of luck and public goods in our success, we can cultivate the humility necessary to re-establish a genuine common good. The shift must be away from the language of "rising" and individual achievement, and toward the language of "contributing" and mutual value. The task is to create a less judgmental politics, a less credentialist economy, and a society that honors the dignity of work for all.
How Australia Really Works Commentary:
- As a philosopher, Sandel's arguments - that appeal to ethics (values, virtues) and normative judgements on better or worse societies - appeal to me but, sadly, won't change the minds of those benefiting from the tyranny of merit.
- Additionally, the fundamental causes of inequality - the birth lottery and contingency - are true but everyone's lived experience is that the vast majority of people would be as selfish if they were on the fortunate side.
- In a secular society with no God-given morals or universal ethics to be empirically agreed upon, there is no simple ethics-driven solution.
- As a starting point, How Australia Really Works intends to make transparent the tyrannies in an Australian context: such as the exploitation of temporary migrants and Australians with low-status. In fact, the unwritten status-sorting in Australia is ripe for documenting as it is largely not based on merit.
- I shall also explore Sandel's other books:
Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do? (2009): A hugely popular exploration of moral and political philosophy, examining various theories like utilitarianism, Kantian ethics, and Aristotle's virtue ethics, applied to contemporary issues.
What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets (2012): This book argues that market values have improperly seeped into every aspect of life, and it explores where markets do and do not belong.
