Episode · No Stupid Questions · 2024-02-04
Books mentioned on 181. What’s So Great About Meritocracy?
Do you really deserve the credit for your accomplishments? Should college admissions be determined by lottery?
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Meritocracy Trap
The Meritocracy Trap by Daniel Markovits is a critical economic and sociological analysis arguing that modern meritocracy entrenches inequality, stifles social mobility, and harms even the elite classes it purports to serve.
Discussed“So Patrick says I'm a big fan of the podcast It would be insightful if the two of you could talk about the potential failures of a meritocracy like the one discussed in the Meritocracy Trap by Daniel Markovits Are you familiar with this book I haven't read the Meritocracy Trap, but I'm pretty familiar with these arguments against meritocracy”
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Justice
Discussed“There is another book on this topic of merit and meritocracy This one was written by one of the professors I took a course with at Harvard named Michael Sandel It was called Justice At the time, it was the largest lecture class at Harvard”
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The Tyranny of Merit
The Tyranny of Merit by Michael J.
Discussed“And so this is, I think, his latest book It came out in 2020: The Tyranny of Merit What's Become of the Common Good Let me just say that neither of these titles makes it seem at all like they have a bias I'm just kidding Meritocracy Trap, The Tyranny of Merit, you don't have to guess, right”
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The Big Test
Discussed“I mean if you go back I don't know how many decades but I think it was Nicholas lemon's book the big test which gives you a little history of these ivy league admissions”
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Success and Luck
Discussed“So Mike, there’s an economist named Robert Frank, and he wrote a book called Success and Luck: Good Fortune and the Myth of Meritocracy Okay And I would say the through line in a lot of these arguments, including Sandel's, is that when you get into Harvard, you think you earned it”
