The tyranny of merit | Michael Sandel

[@vikrambhandolkar]

The most kind hearted intellectual I have come across. I am not even a legal professional but I watched all his Harvard lecture series.

[@bhuvangoyal5271]

Saaaaaaame!! He's just soo good!!

[@itodoisrael9010]

Same. The lecture series on justice right?

[@vikrambhandolkar]

@@itodoisrael9010 yes

[@TeaParty1776]

>kind hearted The black mass of the Crucifixion as moral ideal, a viciously immoral attack on mans life as moral ideal.

[@brandonemerick6744]

It was a very heartfelt talk indeed!

[@yapper58]

I have a brother who is literally a rocket scientist. He has a PH.D. from Princeton. My father owned a small sawmill. My brother has nothing but contempt for manual labor and today still espouses the idea that the "smart people" (him) should decide how things should be done and the less educated should sit down and shut up, even though our father became quite wealthy and enjoyed physical labor (making things) his whole life. I started stacking lumber and driving a forklift when I was 14 years old. I still work in the lumber business as an inspector (even though I have my B.A. in Sociology), which is a physically intensive form of work for a 62 year old. My brother believes I am dirt poor (I am not) and incapable of any other work even though my I.Q. tested close to his in school and I ranked in the top 10% nationally in my class. He is convinced he is socially, morally, and intellectually superior to his family. I respect anyone on my crew who do the work that is required of them. It is hard work and I don't try to make it worse for them by demanding the dangerous or impossible.

[@andybaldman]

Your brother is a douche. And I know many people like him. They are afraid of real work.

[@onikin]

@@earthcitizen57 I do not think you were the most biased and misinformed in that conversation. But you handled it very well.

[@gregorjerman973]

Someday the Intellectuals will hire robot Ai as their equals and Hard working people will consider animals as their own equals.

[@selwynr]

Sounds like you're a natural socialist. My hat off to you.

[@The_Original_Hybrid]

Your brother is correct.

[@Pkvish3266]

My all time favourite. I wanna meet him and take a bow.

[@taylorkim2918]

Awesome clip. I'm having a moment of utter realisation. How lucky I am that I can just comfortably sit down on the chair and listen to his wise words

[@pelado9293]

I'm currently pooping

[@benjaminr8961]

He is far from wise. He is a dirty commie.

[@meghanbliss2356]

Wise? He is terribly misinformed and condescending

[@HonestlyHolistic]

​@@meghanbliss2356please explain

[@andrewthomas695]

@@meghanbliss2356 How so?

[@Vnifit]

This is one of the most fantastic TED talks I have seen in a long time. Dignity of work is at the center of each of our ego's and the suggestion that those who don't go to college are ill-fated to work at McDonalds is part of such considerable divison. The sentiment that working at McDonalds is inherently a bad thing strips those who work there of their dignity and consequently their purpose. Without a feeling of purpose and belonging, people cannot be cohesive and communities begin to fray. Not everyone can be doctors, engineers, and laywers. There is dignity in every job and we need to acknowledge and thank those who do the required work that helps us all.

[@charlesaway]

Absolutely. I very much agree with the concept that there should be dignity in every job; we as a society need to do a better 'job' of recognizing that. I also agree that there are jobs that serve an essential role in society, and people deserve respect and recognition for what they do. I think I diverge in the concept of remuneration for jobs based on their essential nature, however, because there are other factors to consider such as the skill specialization, education and training required to perform those duties. Access to that training and education should probably be expanded, but a doctor who requires 7 years of education and medical college or a master carpenter with extensive trade knowledge and experience can probably work at a grocery store, deliver food (some probably do!), or perform other 'essential' tasks, while the reverse is probably not true. Do people deserve a living wage in exchange for their effective contributions to society? Absolutely. However, their rates of pay should include multiple factors such as ease of performing the function, geographic cost of living factors, etc., in addition to determining whether they are essential. Regards.

[@beegood1215]

All full time jobs should be required to provide a living wage and medical and pension benefits. There are some qualities of socialism that make a society better. Too many jobs are temporary and not leading to anything permanent.

[@Vnifit]

​@Jorge Morando I don't think that was what Bee Good was saying. They were expressing that there are many qualities of socialism that really work alongside a capitalist society. Looking to Canada, Europe, and Scandinavia we can see that a combination of both works wonders for improving peoples lives. Through healthcare and welfare, to childcare and public schools, the attitude of socialism is of 'to care for thy neighbor'. There are no countries that do well long-term under pure capitalism, it is raw and vicious and puts people over profits. Socialism puts people above all, but lacks the ability to give motivation to progress society. A health mix of both is what makes a country great to live in, one that cares of people and provides them the motivation to give back.

[@moonmunster]

@@Vnifit perfect comment

[@Objectivityiskey]

"This is one of the most fantastic TED talks I have seen in a long time. Dignity of work is at the center of each of our ego's and the suggestion that those who don't go to college are ill-fated to work at McDonalds is part of such considerable divison." -------There's nothing wrong with getting your start at McDonalds. If you end up working there for a number of years and haven't moved into management, then something wrong. McDonalds is an entry level job or first job, not a head of household job. "The sentiment that working at McDonalds is inherently a bad thing strips those who work there of their dignity and consequently their purpose." --------It is bad if you haven't moved into management. "Without a feeling of purpose and belonging, people cannot be cohesive and communities begin to fray." --------This has nothing to do with working at McDonalds in an entry level position at 40 years old. McDonalds is a transitional job for adults and a starter job for the youth. "Not everyone can be doctors, engineers, and laywers." -------True, but adults shouldn't be making excuses for not acquiring a specialized skill set and moving out of an entry level job into an adult job. "There is dignity in every job and we need to acknowledge and thank those who do the required work that helps us all." ------This is true and false for the reasons I stated above. Every job is valuable, but it's the Individual and the time spent that modifies the Individuals dignity while doing the job.

[@ASLUHLUHC3]

This reminds me of Warren Buffett talking about how he was very lucky to be born at just the right time, in just the right place, and as a man with right skin colour, so that his skills and interests happened just what was right to make him fabulously wealthy and successful, and that if he lived thousands of years ago, he would've probably been eaten by a lion.

[@JuVe_546]

Everyone using Warren Buffet as some sort of spiritual leader is part of the problem

[@rogercamel]

@Michael Enquist It's a hypothetical and not meant to be taken too literally. It's not really meant to mean "what if I was someone else" but more like "what if I was switched at birth with someone in different circumstances" (even if a time machine is required). Yes you'd still grow up as essentially a different person, but you would likely retain some of your traits and you wouldn't be the same as the person you replaced. It's just a thought experiment to convey how much of your success you can attribute to yourself and how much to your circumstances. The dividing line between those two things of course can be a bit fuzzy. In the end it's an exercise in empathy. "Lucky" does have connotations because it has two meanings. In this case it's helpful to use the synonym "fortunate" which doesn't.

[@herisaputra1303]

Ĺ

[@wayando]

@@JuVe_546 Warren Buffet has won the current "game" ... So it's advisable to learn afew things from him. The alternative is to change the system, and that is alot, alot harder.

[@jameslasso1690]

Ya I’m sure if warren buffet had been born with more “swarthy “ complexion he would invested not so wisely.

[@chrisduplessis4501]

this guy is very sharp! he says all of this without looking at notes, amazing

[@abdirevandio1687]

Hearing this is like a fresh breeze flowing through my anxious heart

[@rigira]

@ASD How wasn’t he listening?

[@CyberPsyLen]

hearing this scares me... it's a cold wind blowing...

[@nescius2]

@ASD do you have more to say than this dismissive nothing?

[@nescius2]

Ronald Reagan.. look who's talking about stupid :D

[@nescius2]

@Ronald Reagan thanks for expanding your argument, it's ..less bad now (to me): by dumb, I think you mean impractical, but dumb doesn't mean that - you can be practical and dumb business owner.. or totally impractical, yet intelligent academic.. and he is talking about morality - being ought rather than is - i wonder how you can argue it being ignorant..

[@natashapang335]

I watch your video 12 years ago, that time are looking very young, now search you here. I feel how time flies

[@lclemons123]

ikr, he aged so much in this video.....

[@overshot8331]

Dignity of Labour. Important to keep in mind.

[@Nelgia247]

@@과자-z8o true, most labourers demand more than what they can offer.

[@karleells8603]

labour is worthless without structure and management.

[@livery955]

@@karleells8603 Same is true vice versa, except managers need laborers infinitely more than laborers need managers.

[@JesusMotherMaryStJoseph]

Indeed! Humanity rules.There is nothing wrong with earning a bachelor's, masters or doctorate and the like. "Never look down on anybody unless you are helping them up." by Jesse Jackson. We live borrowed lives.

[@MaymunaSaeed]

professor Sandel has profoundly influenced me- the harvard lectures and the way the way he perceives things has left me in awe. massive respect for him. May he live a long, healthy life. it hurts to see him grow old :(

[@l.1273]

I too have been very affected by him. And yes, his body is aging, but he is only growing wiser. If we are fortunate, he will grow more respected which would indicate others recognize his wisdom and that recognition, when cumulative, may have an effect on social discourse and relations; toward the better.

[@SesameStreetRacingChannel]

Professor Sandel is one of the most astute academics of our time...Although I have not met him...he has become a very significant mentor in my life...and has allowed me to experience Harvard, through his lecture series. Thank you, Sir.

[@paladinsorcerer67]

From each their ability, to each their need. Respect the garbage worker, respect the restaurant worker, respect the retail worker, respect the janitor, respect the taxi driver, respect the auto mechanic, respect the electrician, respect the secretary, respect the office worker, respect your coworker, respect your manager, respect others so that you do good in this world.

[@jeanettehansen4852]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@melaniaoc]

I think it is v dangerous to blame "merit" in general. We do not want to encourage lack of merit, but instead we need to re-educate ourselves about what merit really is.

[@ronaldreagan-ik6hz]

Yes. Liberals love to sell victimhood

[@GreedApe]

As with all things, moderation is key. Thinking that everything you own and are is the result of your own merits and nothing else is a mistake. Believing that everyone who made it big is the result of the talents they were born with and luck is a mistake too. People who were very blessed with their upbringing and physical condition will oftentimes lean towards the former, while those who had a rough start to life will lean towards the latter. Both extremes dont solve any problems, but generate a fair share of them in their own way.

[@DegreesOfThree]

If you think there's some kind of injustice going on, then you can spend your own money to rectify it. Otherwise, you have no right to interfere in the labor market between an employee that wants a job and an employer that has a job to give.

[@selwynr]

No, in some things moderation is not key. Moderate fascism, anybody?

[@codacreator6162]

Talent and luck? No. Opportunity is only as good as one’s ability AND desire to take advantage of it - both of which are heavily impacted by circumstances. What passes me off is the lack of acknowledgment by the meritocracy of their good fortune coupled with their quick and destructive tendency to blame. Failure is a many-faceted demon. But the consequences of failure need not include destitution, the sacrifice of dignity, or shame. Period. But that’s how we’re set up right now. Moderation has nothing to do with it. The common good has been supplanted by Me First.

[@adamkumpmusic]

This comment reminds me a lot of some of the main premises of the book “the psychology of money.” Great point and I totally agree with you.

[@FedericoLov]

Every Sandel video is a pearl of wisdom. I wish he made more

[@ThePariskat]

I've only just discovered him this week after the article 'The Politics of Pretension'. I'm going to read The Meritocracy Trap. (And yes there is something really soothing about him!).

[@ShikiraPressley]

What a man and what a brilliant ethical conscience that should be taught in schools/colleges world-wide over. What is most remarkable about Sandel is that he "subscribes to a certain version of communitarianism (although he is uncomfortable with the label), and in this vein he is perhaps best known for his critique of John Rawls's A Theory of Justice. Rawls's argument depends on the assumption of the veil of ignorance, which Sandel argues commits Rawls to a view of people as "unencumbered selves". His opinions are 100% accurate and absoloutely defy the soci-economic, political and moral stance that so many wealthy people detatch themselves from the very reality they selfishly indulge in a fantastical self-appointed universe. 👍👏👍👏👍👏

[@CJusticeHappen21]

The dog at the front of the pack forgets that he's not the only one pulling a sled.

[@duodot]

Huh, that's an apt metaphor.

[@rboydphotography]

but who is at the front of the pack? the CEO or the manual workers? both consider themselves essential to the business functioning and know little to nothing about the work done by the other 🤷‍♂️ it's very apt metaphor, but can apply in so many different ways as to be equally vague and confusing.

[@CJusticeHappen21]

@@rboydphotography You forget, or perhaps you don't know...the dogs are pulling a sled. A sled is put there by a driver, who rides the sled while the dogs do the pulling. The front dog might have more power than the dogs behind it, but it's still a dog pulling it's Master. The dogs starring at the hindquarters of the dog in front of them often forget the man behind them, the one who rations the food and the one who cracks the whip.

[@DegreesOfThree]

Is it the dog that gets the sled from point A to B, or is it the brain of the man steering?

[@CJusticeHappen21]

@@DegreesOfThree Both. The man goes nowhere without the dogs, and the dogs go everywhere without the man.

[@IbrahimKhan-sh2bg]

I am a business student but this gentlemen made me fall in love with political philosophy. It's hard to see him grow old.

[@aniksamiurrahman6365]

Congratulation. You just found some great PR material.

[@itodoisrael9010]

His series on justice

[@nahtan7925]

Very same

[@andrewthomas695]

Growing old is a good thing. Not everybody gets to. Don't feel bad for him. If you are lucky, you shall also get to grow old.

[@10sno27]

Incredibly moving and healing. The talk on Sam Harris’ podcast also excellent.

[@benjaminr8961]

Its toxic crap.

[@Constantin678]

I admire even looking at him. So thoughtful sincere and frank

[@linlicui4438]

Me too, I’m glad to listen to him

[@Constantin678]

@Ronald Reagan I don’t agree with everything , I guess there is no single point of view to everything

[@Constantin678]

@Ronald Reagan I guess we shouldn’t just judge one’s opinion. We may agree or disagree, partly, partly I agree, if I haven’t got enough finance to go to Harvard, I will certainly miss something

[@karleells8603]

Too bad his ideas are built on false assumptions and misguided statistics.

[@mieloper1942]

Difference between the intelligent and the wise

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

Being intelligent just means someone has a good memory, nothing more.

[@Chiungalla79]

@@aylbdrmadison1051 It's also the ability to think faster, more diverse and deeper. Sadly, without proper education, it in no way guarantees less errors in thinking.

[@billlong9313]

@@aylbdrmadison1051 One's intelligence is their capacity to use what they learn to deal effectively with new situations. With practice, just about anyone can develop and extend this capacity. WIsdom has more to do with having exceptionally prudent judgment.

[@DaveE99]

Aylbdr Madison they are good at complex processing, but I wouldn’t say it means they are more right in many areas of life.

Sandel is neither.

[@rickguerrero2282]

That was a great video. I just started reading “The Meritocracy Trap”, and this video sums it up very well.

[@rickguerrero2282]

@Ronald Reagan Have you read the book?

[@rickguerrero2282]

@Ronald Reagan for starters, the dude who made the video did NOT write “The Meritocracy Trap”.

[@davruck1]

@Ronald Reagan so LeBron James is superior to you? Good to know. You’ve finally admitted your inferiority.

[@karleells8603]

Hmmm lets think. you dont want meritocracy so i wonder if you would want a doctor working on you only because he had to be one of the "diversity hires" rather than on his merit? Yeah. this ideology falls apart under the most basic tests in the real world.

[@rickguerrero2282]

Unfortunately, that is not the point of the book, “The Tyranny of Merit”.

[@Dhtdhrtv]

I barely watch TED. But this is really recommendable. I could see more than 95% of similarity between Sandell's idea and mine and this very close similarity makes me feel sure and proud of myself.

[@nescius2]

I think that the above argument is garbage, nothing personal: there is just no argument.

[@말까1]

@@과자-z8o "if you don't like it, leave" logic does not make the situation any better - it's only a radical nationalism approach imo. If one is truly considerate and thoughtful of the society then one should find means of making it better and fair. You said, money does not define personal worth and it's true - but we're talking about relativity. Relative poverty leads to sense of deprivation and confusion of social order, even if someone may not have trouble sustaining basic life. It's not just about money and jealousy, it's more about not being able to earn for what one did, which means that not 'everyone got what they deserved'. Your opinion is what could be justified in terms of bad utilitarianism, which many people including rawls has criticised, since it's just unfair. The lower class won't accept the fact that the rich owns 99 percent of the wealth for sure - that's what this man is talking about. The problem of meritocracy that justifies inequality (caused by luck, family background, etc). If our society was a caste system then yours would make sense; such jealousy should not happen, because they're destined to be poor, and the rich be rich. But the modern society isn't. It is ran by an ideology that everyone is born same and the chances are the same, even though it's virtually not. Being poor attributes to the poor. And they are upset, since they did not get what they deserved. Sandel does not directly argues socialism nor redistribution either. He is suggesting that we seek means of getting people what they deserve; making justice. The left, the democrats that you may hate are rather quite criticised in his book, the tyranny of merit.

[@andfoundout]

@@nescius2 How can you not see from the pandemic that "essential workers" ARE actually the most essential workers in society, everything else relies on them, so they deserve a living wage.

[@nescius2]

@@andfoundout ...how are you able to read what i wrote and then respond with that? .. have you even read it?

[@andfoundout]

@@ronaldreagan3086 So your family only loves you because you work and make money? You only want your friends to be alive because they have jobs? You only love your kids because they will, one day, work? Your value is totally defined by what you do for a living? Having some professions be paid more than others to reflect the value of *highly* skilled work makes sense. But how can you possibly justify not paying people enough to live on, even though they work full time hours? There's demand, the demand is being met, but you don't want them to be able to live, even though they're working full time.

[@franciscojavierhernandezp1685]

The main issue of this statement refers that the salary is not defined by the importance of your job, rather it is unfortunately defined by the law of offer and demand (a basic economical rule that has defined all societies during the entire human history). Therefore, there are no chances to change this distribution only by a philosophical public decision or wish, in special when resources are scarce (despite that we agree that these good wishes sound fair, but they are unfortunately unpractical). That is, there will be always someone that will be able to do the same job by a lower salary when you talk about of a not qualified job that is well paid, i.e., a job that you don't need great skills, therefore, anyone can do it (if you increase the salary you will have a massive demand for that position). In contrast, if you have a company and you decide to duplicate salaries, it is very likely that your company will be not profitable with time and your company will be disappeared with time because of the natural market competition. Unfortunately, the rule that defines the economy does not match with social wishes. We still live in a society that resources are scarce, therefore, the salary is basically defined as the minimum payment that someone will afford to pay you by your services and skills. For example, if humans invent a robot that can cure people better than doctors, there will not demand to pay for human medical treatments. How can you change social behavior just with good wishes?. Everyone agrees that everyone should get a better salary, but the reasonable question is How can you do it?. I agree that the world is absolutely unfair for most people and there is a lot of injustices about wealthy distribution and opportunities. I agree that only a small percentage of the population has real opportunities in life, however, we are in an age of the history that people have more opportunities than in the entire history of humanity. Noting that people that live in developing countries have still lower chances that someone that lives in the USA. How are you going to balance it (with good wishes?). The solution is not only to point the problem out.

[@calebnewton_]

Another thing about the system we see around us is taking risk into account. The more risk you take on personally the more you will be profitable if the venture is profitable. That's part of how we reward success in a meritocratic free market.

[@bellablackmist5033]

Well, such a thing could be effected by attitude actually. At least to a point. With the current political climate it's highly unlikely, but a combination of laws that prioritize locally found employment, material sourcing, ECT, and a public attitude that prioritizes the fact that the whole point of working to afford one's life and not necessarily to contribute to their employer (how the american economy is designed to work), not to mention enforcing anti monopolistic law, we could, in theory, solve this issue to a satisfactory extent. I however believe our commerce and our government have become too intertwined for that (via the iron triangle and whatnot) to work well now, since the iron triangle kind of cuts public interest out of the picture. I however think this ted talk was more about being kind to each other than actually fixing a physical imbalance in our system, though I'd prefer to talk about how to solve things much more. 😅

[@Wojtecher]

The answer is legislation, and In a democratic society public opinion equals law. Yes, if allowed to do so, purely profit oriented businesses will trend towards the lowest wages possible, but they don't need to be allowed to do so. The ideal form of government is not capitalism, shown by the lack of any successful capitalist economies unless you use extremely loose definitions.

[@WillOfTheWeb]

You're logic is basically saying 'Well that's the way it works and always has worked'. The problem is that the entire system is broken from top to bottom.

[@ivanandreevich8568]

Learn some economics.

[@deeb3272]

Been watching old videos of Prof.Sandel earlier and wished there is a new one. My thoughts came true! Thanks Ted!

[@1elt]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@homesweet9537]

hello wtf!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)))))(((((((((((((((:

[@jyang9852]

Same here! Wish for more books and videos from Professor Sandel!

[@h497554725]

Harvard Justice lecture brings me here

[@Abecinna]

Same

[@DiogoVKersting]

There's a great book on the matter called The Case Against Education (Caplan). The argument is that the reason so many low-skill jobs are requiring college, is due to a something called Credential Inflation. Diplomas are mostly about "signaling", and not really about what you actually learn in University (Courses like Engineering, which have "real" value by the work market for the learned material are the exception, not the rule). Education is already extremely wasteful due to extreme interventions of government on the Education market (such as loans which would never exist in a free market).

[@duodot]

Hmm, true. So you're saying education has become more like a filter, a currency needed to get a job, because "everyone" is getting it?

[@DiogoVKersting]

​@@duodot I think it'd be better if you looked at the information directly from the source (Bryan Caplan), as he can explain better than I can. But basically if all you're doing is "signaling" that you score high in intelligence, conscientiousness and conformity to a potential employer, the actual number of years studied doesn't really matter, as long as most of your peers also study for a similar period. Without "virtually free" loans, the pricing system would incentive people to have less credentials in number of years. As a hypothetical example, imagine the number of people graduating from uni each year is way down... Someone hiring a waiter would look for good high school grades, and not demand a university degree. And those that do graduate will be more likely to actually work in the field he studied. People are still going to find ways of "signaling", but those are going to be way less resource-intensive (i.e. wasteful). The title The Case Against Education, implies that we could have very similar, if not identical worker productivity even if we made enormous cuts in government spending/subsidies in education. In fact, due to the reduction of resources "wasted" in education, one could argue society would end MORE productive.

[@duodot]

@@DiogoVKersting Mm, right. I guess the employers can afford to be picky when the whole pool is overqualified. That being said, I don't think cutting spending on education is the answer, although I see your point. More efficient use of the allocated funds, sure, but that's just a result of the school existing mainly to create a mass of mediocrity and not support the bright and gifted. But the complexity of the education required to function in today's society is surely greater than it was 50 years ago, so thus the increased education kinda makes sense. But still. Not everyone needs, or rather benefits from, higher education. I'll check out your source, thank you.

[@1elt]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@DiogoVKersting]

@@duodot Yeah, that's exactly it. The worst part is that if employers are not "picky" (i.e. selecting the best "signalers" they can afford), there's a good chance they'll end up with employees with lower average "productivity". That said, I wonder if at some point, being too overqualified might start to negatively affect motivation and therefore productivity.

[@srajagopal39]

The change that is needed is the change in attitude of the people and nothing to do with meritocracy.

[@Kashiku]

The background sounds of the birds embellishes everything

[@karleells8603]

Nothing from the left is songs and birds when you implement these ideas. everything falls apart

[@kentmg79]

Circumstances at birth certainly play a roll, but I also have found that for myself, and for most people who do not inherit their wealth, the words of Samuel Goldwyn ring true: "The harder I work, the luckier I get."

[@christofthedead]

post hoc ergo propter hoc nice fallacy bro

[@shashwatsharma2596]

One thing to remember, If you win, remember the role of luck and good fortune If you lose, work harder(do what you can with what you have)

[@haizeabezala]

And never forget that you could have been one of those who are "less fortunate" (this is the right term I think), so give a hand, even a small help is enough. We all need our good samaritan. Those that are successful also needed it.

[@jake_runs_the_world]

hahah baman you still gonna cry "merit" and focus on reservations rather than caste discrimination

[@shashwatsharma2596]

@@jake_runs_the_world What?

[@littlesometin]

If you lose, look for the reason you lost and if there is one, organize with other people who are losing to change the rules for a fair game.

[@chrisstory5328]

Work is no more dignified than the end to which one works. If you can't win with ease and grace, consider playing a game better suited to your proclivities.

[@unsorted1138]

I re-watch this video several times a year. It's a great summary of his excellent book.

[@jworthe]

Everyone talks about the importance of a college degree, yet almost no one mentions that not a degrees will provide opportunities. Universities are happy to take the money of those following their dreams. But don't expect there to be high demand in your dream field.

[@continuouslylearning6152]

College graduates come out with this sense if entitlement like because they went to college they're owed something.

[@petenrita]

Smart people are smart people, regardless of degrees, wealth or pedigree

[@MoMo-iz4gn]

Korean medical school students should watch this.

[@sungryongpark]

Sure. Meritocratic doctors in south korea are insisting that they would not attend national doctor examination if government doesn’t go back form the policy to enlarge quantity of doctors. They are meritocratic group dangerous for patients to give their body to them to be cured. It’s really shameful.

[@yoshi9358]

@@sungryongpark Isnt more trained doctors better for everyone ? Except maybe other doctors

[@Lovetoall14]

He always had the answers!

[@gaberouse3351]

This is extremely important right now.

[@abhishalsharma1628]

Reconcilable with my thoughts

[@SuperAtheist]

Earnings are not the same as winnings .

[@karleells8603]

Earnings are worth more than the redistribution of earnings. Sandel is an idiot.

[@KimZhou-x1c]

How clear and smart a claim he made on behalf of people! Respect!

[@guidoghirardi2985]

Powerful analysis. Merit is for sure a major factor and one should be proud of success, BUT using it as an excuse to just don't take into account the other factors and look down on people who have their struggles in life is for sure one of the roots of today's political conflict. Many people feel unheard and discarded... this whole myth that the poor are simply "lazy" is so low resolution that really makes you wonder if the upper class super-achievers actually dont want to deal with some uncomfortable truths.

[@johnlim1270]

Great thought by a great thinker

[@neuro.weaver]

The only problem with meritocracy is either when there is not enough or it gets diluted and soiled. We need to learn the value of saying "No". "No" you are not good enough for high school - go to a vocational school. "No" you are not good enough for university - go to a technical college. The Germans and Dutch have been applying this to great success. They have better trained professionals and happier people. University degrees lost their market value when they were given out en mass. Now the very same mistake is repeated with Graduate degrees and even PhDs. And obtaining one neither proves training nor is it proof of ability. Because, "No", everyone cannot become anything they set their minds to. THAT is reality. Anything else is just ego-pandering, and turns petulant children into frustrated adults.

[@ratsu2641]

here here

[@dside_ru]

Both the value of saying "No" and *the capacity to not take "No" as an insult* as the speaker mentioned. That's something parents can instill in their children, but often don't, instead reinforcing the idea that them not making it until the very end of the education ladder somehow makes them a failure.

[@calebnewton_]

@@dside_ru I think you make a good distinction here. The "No" is not a personal attack, it's meant as a helpful assessment given the experience and capability of the individual being assessed.

[@dside_ru]

@@calebnewton_ that's the idea, yes. With this thread in particular the devil is in the "not good enough". It's a harmful oversimplification that tends to mislead, because people generally strive to be "good", but cannot always define what "good" means (and in general it doesn't mean anything at all; it's one side of a certain distinction, but what distinction?).

[@frankmaston]

He's got my vote

[@lucaslimal3]

I disagree with 90% of what this man says and still respect him deeply. Thank you mister Sandel, it is important that we talk about this.

[@jumpstart55million]

What do you disagree with?

[@lucaslimal3]

@@jumpstart55million I think his whole ideia on meritocracy is different from mine. I think meritocracy comes about what you did with what you got. He thinks, and that is his critique, that meritocracy is a score bar that all should surpass. Those who do not are loosers. I know many ppl who think like that. They think that if you do not have a car, or a house, or clothes and gadgets, you are a loser. I do not think this is what meritocracy is about. For me, if you are getting better in life you are exerting your merit. The ideia of finding merit as some kind of a tiranny is counter productive in my opinion. Because it is by looking to get better, by competing and try to do more with less that we, humans, innovate and come up with solution to varius problems. To deny that is to create what we are seeing more and more nowadays. Ppl taking things for granted, saying that government or a privileged group should supply for them. They will not, you must seek to improve through your actions.

@@lucaslimal3 Another thing everyone seems to ignore about merit is that it is not a universal measurement. Merit is given by someone to some other person for any particular activity or thing it values, someone that has been given merit in one activity do no nessesarily is meritocratical in another. These people attack the system rethorically or verbally but all the same apply meritocratic rules in their lives. People want things done in a "right" or "pleasant" way for them, theyll give merit to the ones providing that way they crave. I assume Mr Sandel works with people whose efficience in their jobs help him be better too. He hired them assigning merit to their cappability of doing that job.

[@paladinsorcerer67]

Somebody has to do the jobs that most people dont want to do. Sure a person can strive to make themselves better, but for most people, that is not enough to transcend their place in the hierarchy. What you are saying is that those people dont deserve to have a decent standard of living, because the market by itself wont provide it to them. A free market society is a political choice, not an act of nature. It can be reformed and changed, to suit the wishes of the people living in the society. The people in charge of the governement and corporations make the choice to horde money for themselves and to be stingy when it comes to providing worker pay. Their main priority is to pay shareholders and themselves, not to pay employees. This is the essence of selfish behavior, corruption of the leaders of society. It is the essence of capitalism, and its Achilles heel. If people pay taxes, which is their patriotic duty, they pool their money so that they can get government services. We can debate about what is the best way to fund these services, but it is also the patriotic duty of elites to pay their fair share of taxes to help out the less fortunate then themselves. If this is not done, inequality increases to dangerous levels, and people frustrated with their place in the hierarchy, and the disrespect they feel from those lording over them, leads to societal upheaval. The peasants storm the gates of the Bastille, to behead the kings and queens who exploited them for generations. Allowing society to head in this direction is bad management.

[@sailajarvi4642]

Such a brilliant lecture from a true intellectual person! Thank you!

[@evolvedcopper2205]

I was quite misled by the applause at the beginning thinking it was a talk given to a crowd. Starting to miss those

[@jamescolahan9023]

This is the truth for our entire world culture today.

[@Gaooo16]

I really love who he quotes and bringing it full circle.

[@morganalo5100]

Bravo three times over! I watched this TED talks 5 times and I think I may watch it again and again! What he said is the truth at all!

[@continuouslylearning6152]

Maybe if you watch it 5 more times you'll be sufficiently brainwashed

[@THE1stBRAINinTOWN]

Very important message for americans. Some european countries already have a similar culture to what is described as necessary in the video, and it does work out well for them.

[@continuouslylearning6152]

You current way of life WILL fail within 10-15 years. I promise you.

[@FarbotBurunetNia]

Thank you.

[@contrafax]

A four year degree is no longer a guarantee of success. It is about as good as a highschool diploma, with debt.

[@Chiungalla79]

The opposite would even be more horrible. Their are many graduates who more or less succeeded at college or university because of qualities that would not help any companie that hire them. 🤷‍♂️ Not every college graduate is a smart cookie. What really helps is if you have a growth mentality. If you recognice after college that you lack certain skills, some will be disappointed and give up... and others will roll up their sleeves until they succeed.

[@beegood1215]

Success is not just about money, it's about the mark you make in this world. What do you want as your epitaph? He didn't earn enough money? How to help, to be a good friend, how to guide someone to succeed both financially and in relationships. To me that is what success is.

[@Chiungalla79]

@ 1.) You have no real socialists in US-politics. 2.) Many countries where the right wing politicians are more socialist than your left wing politicians are outperforming the US economics (on a per capita basis). 3.) Everybody with a degree getting a carreer would be an ultra socialist idea.

@@beegood1215 Nobody would have remembered the good Samaritan if he hadn't had money too.

@@Chiungalla79 I have no idea how to respond to such deluded rubbish.

[@catsymousie7611]

What a beautiful thought!

[@TheLastWanderingBard]

True meritocracy is not a tyranny. It's a fair chance for everybody to contribute. Those who have an issue with it are either those who believe that one group of people is not as capable of contributing as another when given a fair chance (in which case, who's the tyrant now?), or those who just don't want to contribute yet want to be given whatever they desire. Any other talking points one would muster against a meritocracy is simply trying to posit that a real meritocracy does not exist, and that is intrinsically a flaw of the ideology, in which case I would levy the exact same criticism against socialism. How many times have we seen socialism and communism not only fail, but lead to some of the worst human rights atrocities across the globe? And yet you get people still swearing by it by saying things like "well they didn't employ our particular brand, which will totally work". In which case, ditto for meritocracy. Also, as an additional comment, I'd like to say I don't appreciate Ted becoming so overtly political over the last year. I haven't paid much attention to them in my sub feed, but given that I am A) not American; B) not living in America; and C) fairly politically disengaged/independent, I don't see the value in staying subbed to a channel that seems to be little more than a political reactionary to whatever is happening in the States right now. I can't even remember the last time I found a Ted video to actually be genuine, so I look forward to not seeing them clog my subscriptions hereafter.

[@loungejay8555]

I listened to this from start to finish, and my god, it was like a punch in the face. Total wake up call.

[@edmond4005]

This talk is great.

[@1elt]

as his others talks..

[@leonardu6094]

Economists and Philosophers that love critiquing the idea of meritocracy without addressing the problem of Genetics and just how much of a role they play in our lives, are really doing their audience a disservice.

[@Objectivityiskey]

If you have no clue about reality and are very naive.

[@nescius2]

@@leonardu6094 do you really have an argument or just pulling your shirt? do you really want to argue for inferiority of people based on genetics? i hope you have a *very good evidence..* is what you call yourself only your genes?

[@leonardu6094]

@@nescius2 "do you really want to argue for inferiority of people based on genetics?" "is what you call yourself only your genes?" Lmao leftists really are a delusional bunch. Homeboy really just misconstrued my statement. No response. Go get some coffee bro and take a break from the internet.

[@sakshamdangi9410]

3:33 Dr Sandel There is a particular reason why we say that change is the only constant. It is necessary for every human to upgrade within time. For instance: In India, about 50-60 yrs ago, Stenography or short hand writing was in wide demand. Most people who are in their 70s and 80s in have taken a course it. However, one does not need them now owing to presence of voice recorders now even present in a smartphone. Hence I would like know the reason behind why upgrading within time is being villainized by you. Thank you

[@J0hnBr0wnsB0dy]

For anyone who is interested in learning more about this concept, read The Meritocracy Myth by Stephen J. McNamee. I read and studied this for a Sociology course and it was fascinating.

[@zaru1503]

Dont use it for real life, its the same in my country, they teach it in school so they can have more depended people, till you destroy society like Cuba, Venezuela, Argentina, etc.

[@J0hnBr0wnsB0dy]

@@zaru1503 you're not my real mom

[@brennanwn]

Will do 😎

[@J0hnBr0wnsB0dy]

@Max Johnson ok

[@J0hnBr0wnsB0dy]

@Max Johnson ok

[@jayashreej9931]

I love watching ted talks ...

[@26afc]

Tyranny is defined that which is legal for the government but illegal for citizenry. Is there anybody who keeps fighting for their dreams to whatever it takes? ✊🏼

[@bosslifecigarclub7993]

Nice quote 👌🏽

[@trendishysupport5581]

Wooowww Savageee

[@Miranox2]

Wrong, that is not the definition of tyranny. Have you tried a dictionary?

[@DarkMoonDroid]

Bless you, Sir! So glad DAVOS listened to you! What a surprise that was!!

[@jannmikoingelrabagogamingc6012]

OMG! I can't believe this amazing professor is still alive after watching his "Justice: What's the Right Thing To Do" Harvard lecture series years ago, really! I am ever so gladful that we still have him alive~

[@itsdaeyonglim]

Thank you

[@jimmyliu_youtube]

Thanks Michael. We need trust, more than ever.

[@atan4651]

thanks for this video.

[@itouchtheskyilovetrentino]

I love this talk. Thank you so much for talking about this topic.

[@moeadel75]

Amazing! Thank you, sir!

[@kandice458]

watching your Harvard series and you're becoming one of my favorite people in this planet.

[@soumyavijayannp1964]

😸😸 yess.. He is my favourite too..

[@benjaminr8961]

Right up there with Stalin and Mao?

[@saimahirani3836]

Thanks 🙏

[@javiermingo2326]

Amazing video! it inspired me to read the book. I related its topic to the passage "For who makes you different form anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?" 1 Corinthians 4 7

[@javiermingo2326]

@Ronald Reagan Michael's message goes beyond that, referring to the fact that the place where we are born, our intelligence and the random factors in life that sometimes lead to material success are not our merit. So that should make us more humble and not arrogant worthy of our goods.

[@javiermingo2326]

​@Ronald Reagan What you say is correct, but it is only true if everyone had the same chances to develop their talents. In practice, it is clear that this does not work like that, because people who are born in poor places tend to remain poor and the same happens in wealthy environments. In 0:47 that idea is mentioned. Despite the above, your comment is very arrogant, because you are implicitly saying that there are no hard working poor people, and if you think that way it means that you are slanted.

[@javiermingo2326]

@Ronald Reagan in your case nothing = natural intelligence + opportunities to develop their talent (country they were born, family, environment, etc) + luck (because not every hard working person is millionare) + support from others to achieve that place. I call that a gift, not "nothing".

[@javiermingo2326]

@Ronald Reagan I agree with you in that everyone born in a free country can become rich if they work hard (and other factors are also involved there), I just said that people born in wealthy famililies TEND to pass their privileges on to their kids and people born in poor places TEND to stay poor, and that's a fact.

[@javiermingo2326]

@Ronald Reagan I never mentioned that, when I said "tend to pass their privileges" I didn´t mean that children always have the same amount of money than their parents, but that they start form a different "start point" in the meritocratic society, its like starting 10 seconds before in a 100 meters race.

[@BobQuigley]

thanks Mr Sandel!

[@라스네터-v8y]

P1 0:27 P2 1:01 P3 1:53 P4 4:59 P5 P6 P7 P8 P9

[@pascoett]

It’s both: luck and merit. It‘s not hubris of merit, it’s hubris as a whole. On social media, hubris is the way to go, as it propagates abundance. Humility was taught by some professors and elitism by others. It’s an individual drama and university ivory towers by elite families is one thing but the role of our media and social media is important too. And how state salaries are in place is another factor. Academia starts in schools and schools are already a lions den for many children and teens with almost no way of redeeming path later in life. Italy and France serve as a toxic example of a screwed society made by the education system. Both countries are on the verge of major unrest now.

[@iemozzomei]

And that's the crux of most societies now. The founding assumptions is that effort will be rewarded, however it's patently clear that not only effort, but luck is instrumental to success.

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

Not just luck, but also race, gender, sexual orientation, good looks, age, etc. But more than anything else: class.

[@iemozzomei]

@@aylbdrmadison1051 Yup, definitely. I'd consider them all to be included under luck, but its definitely important emphasising just how broad the scope is of "luck". Too many people use a restricted definition of luck to argue against their own privilege.

[@vargas0897]

The question is what are the percentages? How much is it effort, skills and hard work, and how much is it the other things (good looks, age, gender etc). Not so obvious

[@iemozzomei]

@@vargas0897 Yup, and it would also vary based on the values of said society as well. An absolute b**ch to put quantative values on.

[@richardsagala3186]

Humility a virtue indeed

[@KosmicKitchen]

I read prof. Sandel's book. He is spot on but I am not sure if, years after the pandemic, we learned the lesson.

[@mgh62000]

Merit is not the issue. If we were a true meritocracy, society would be far better off. The issue is sociopaths (a lot but not all of CEOs and finance people score high on the sociopathy scale) who misuse the term merit.

[@victoriataylor8778]

we love Michael Sandel ❤

[@cla99009]

The cost of something is not based on how essential it is. If this were the case, clean air and water would cost a fortune, while most electronic entertainment devices would be cheap. The reality of economy is not that things are valued relative to their importance, but relative to their scarcity. You don't mind who picks up your trash, but you'll be a lot more selective about your doctor. That selection and scarcity is what drives the disparity in pay.

[@lonewolfanon9310]

FREEDOM OF SPEECH 🇺🇸 This is a list of American Patriots who perhaps have different ideas, beliefs, religions and yes, theories...yet everyone of them is willing to fight for the 1st and 2nd Amendments. Development of theory and seeking truth depends on the ability to share information with others...if you don’t have this, what do you THINK you have? Does MSM continually to lie to you? Define ‘lemmings’. 🐀 Do you think channels like ICONS or ALICE DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE could even exist in China? Is there still Freedom of Speech in America ? Censorship has been successful in blinding us to our actual SIZE. We are MUCH stronger than we know! We ALL need to lay down our differences and unite for the Freedom of Speech to END INTERNET CENSORSHIP. INTERNET BILL OF RIGHTS 🇺🇸 There were months with ZERO response to this list. Now it seems KZbin is allowing me to post the list, yet other times I get an ‘Error message 500’. Censorship is very real, and they can tape your mouth shut for any reason, at any time. 🤬 Thank God the Silent Majority are still gun owners! Please copy and share the list. 🐺 ANON WWG1WGA ------------------ GODSPEED 🔥 SGT REPORT GODSPEED 🔥 LIZ CROKIN GODSPEED 🔥 DUSTIN NEMOS GODSPEED 🔥 JAMES WOODS GODSPEED 🔥 TRACY BEANZ GODSPEED 🔥 JAMIE DLUX GODSPEED 🔥 LISA MEI CROWLEY GODSPEED 🔥 LISA HAVEN GODSPEED 🔥 JUSTUS KNIGHT GODSPEED 🔥 COREY’S DIGS GODSPEED 🔥 STEVEN CROWDER GODSPEED 🔥 PHIL ROBERTSON GODSPEED 🔥 MCFILES GODSPEED 🔥 TIMCAST GODSPEED 🔥 OFFICER TATUM GODSPEED 🔥 BRANDON STRAKA GODSPEED 🔥 ADAMCAST IRL GODSPEED 🔥 ICONS GODSPEED 🔥 MARTIN BRODEL GODSPEED 🔥 INTHEMATRIXXX GODSPEED 🔥 M3THODS GODSPEED 🔥 BRAD BISHOP GODSPEED 🔥 PRAYING MEDIC GODSPEED 🔥 DESTROYING THE ILLUSION GODSPEED 🔥 EDGE OF WONDER GODSPEED 🔥 NEON REVOLT GODSPEED 🔥 DECEPTION BYTES GODSPEED 🔥 WHITE HAT GODSPEED 🔥 FELIX REX GODSPEED 🔥 BLACK PIGION SPEAKS GODSPEED 🔥 YOU ARE FREE TV GODSPEED 🔥 TRU REPORTING GODSPEED 🔥 THE PATRIOT HOUR GODSPEED 🔥 AREA 17 GROUND ZERO GODSPEED 🔥 WHERE WE GO 1 WE GO ALL GODSPEED 🔥 SPACE SHOT 76 GODSPEED 🔥 FREEDOM FORCE BATTALION GODSPEED 🔥 INTO THE MULTIVERSE GODSPEED 🔥 ALICE DOWN THE 🐇 HOLE GODSPEED 🔥 STEEL TRUTH GODSPEED 🔥 JUSTINFORMED TALK GODSPEED 🔥 OPERATION FREEDOM GODSPEED 🔥 #SEEKINGTHETRUTH GODSPEED 🔥 X22 REPORT GODSPEED 🔥 IN PURSUIT OF TRUTH GODSPEED 🔥 ANDWEKNOW GODSPEED 🔥 SERIALBRAIN2 GODSPEED 🔥 LK DARK TO LIGHT GODSPEED 🔥 EPOCH TIMES GODSPEED 🔥 BREITBART NEWS GODSPEED 🔥 THE DAILY WIRE GODSPEED 🔥 TREY SMITH GODSPEED 🔥 JASON A GODSPEED 🔥 THINK ABOUT IT GODSPEED 🔥 TRUTH AND ART GODSPEED 🔥 CHARLIE WARD GODSPEED 🔥 JOE M GODSPEED 🔥 REDPILL 78 GODSPEED 🔥 SALTY CRACKER GODSPEED 🔥 AMAZING POLLY GODSPEED 🔥 TIPPING POINT GODSPEED 🔥 TRUTH FOR FREEDOM GODSPEED 🔥 LION OF JUDAH GODSPEED 🔥 GROWING AWARENESS GODSPEED 🔥 AMERICAN PROPHET GODSPEED 🔥 BLESSED TO TEACH GODSPEED 🔥 BCP GODSPEED 🔥 GEORGE NEWS GODSPEED 🔥 THE RIGHT MEDIA GODSPEED 🔥 SHAUN ATTWOOD GODSPEED 🔥 JON LEVI GODSPEED 🔥 JERICHO GREEN GODSPEED 🔥 ANTHONY BRIAN LOGAN GODSPEED 🔥 AUTODIDACTIC GODSPEED 🔥 LONDON REAL GODSPEED 🔥 NEXT NEWS NETWORK GODSPEED 🔥 GEMATRIA EFFECT NEWS GODSPEED 🔥 HEV123 TRUTH-SEEKER GODSPEED 🔥 FREAK SENSE TV GODSPEED 🔥 SANTA SURFING GODSPEED 🔥 CRAIG MASONS RC GODSPEED 🔥 LIONEL NATION GODSPEED 🔥 GODRULES GODSPEED 🔥 STROPPY ME GODSPEED 🔥 RED-RACER VIDEO GODSPEED 🔥 LONNEL HARRIS GODSPEED 🔥 WE THE PEOPLE INSIDER GODSPEED 🔥 GOD FAMILY AND GUNS GODSPEED 🔥 URBAN DISCIPLES GODSPEED 🔥 MARK DICE GODSPEED 🔥 O A N NEWS GODSPEED 🔥 STEVE BANNON GODSPEED 🔥 PATRICK BYRNE GODSPEED 🔥 THE DURAN GODSPEED 🔥 WEARECHANGE GODSPEED 🔥 C. I. R. GODSPEED 🔥 PROJECT VERITAS GODSPEED 🔥 GUCCIFER 2.0 GODSPEED 🔥 JULIAN ASSANGE GODSPEED 🔥 JUDICIAL WATCH GODSPEED 🔥 DAN BONGINO GODSPEED 🔥 PRAGER U GODSPEED 🔥 OUT OF SHADOWS GODSPEED 🔥 SHADOWGATE GODSPEED 🔥 TABLE OF TITANS GODSPEED 🔥 EXTREME REALITY CHECK GODSPEED 🔥 LAST AMERICAN VAGABOND GODSPEED 🔥 MCALLISTER TV GODSPEED 🔥 LIBERAL HIVEMIND GODSPEED 🔥 DR. BUTTAR GODSPEED 🔥 DR. JUDY MIKOVITS GODSPEED 🔥 SACHA STONE GODSPEED 🔥 ROBERT KENNEDY JR. GODSPEED 🔥 AE 911 TRUTH GODSPEED 🔥 Q GODSPEED 🔥 ANONS GODSPEED 🔥 PRESIDENT TRUMP GODSPEED 🔥 THE GREAT AWAKENING GOD BLESS❤️ ANDREW BREITBART GOD BLESS❤️ SETH RICH Q: THE PLAN TO SAVE THE WORLD kzbin.info/www/bejne/r2nGoWSBq79-htE WWG1WGA [e-mail]

[@danieljaywoods9950]

I see your point, but I also think youre mixing up supply and demand. You can still go to an oxygen bar and pay to get some scented 100% O2. And water actually does cost a fortune in places where there is very little of it and costs a lot to transport. But I see what you mean when we talk about valuing the effect of the work someone does rather than how common/difficult the work is or is not

[@anentiresleeveoforeos2087]

@@lonewolfanon9310 Aka "Right-wing people I like". Imagine blindly shilling like this.

[@joannot6706]

If you paid attention, you would know that he never said otherwise. His point is that it's ought to be otherwise, not that it isn't the case. Not saying he is right or wrong in his ideas, just pointing out that your comment is either a strawman fallacy or irrelevant.

[@eatcarpet]

And yet scientific knowledge, arguably the most important thing in the world, is free...

[@Mike__G]

I started out with a part-time job as a janitor and a crappy apartment and a kid on the way. I got a crap job in tech and took course after course for over ten years. I still don’t have a degree, but I was kicking butt because I gained marketable skills and I worked my butt off. My work day was often 16 hours while others had a lot of leisure and fun. Lots of people opposed and oppressed me along the way and put me down. I was always too stupid to know when to quit. So I succeeded. Merit is everything. Tyranny is anything but.

[@Mike__G]

@karrie36 Working hard and smart with persistence is a cliche? Expecting the world to hand everything to you is the way to go? How naive and ignorant can you get?

[@Mike__G]

@Andreas Becker That was what was implied.

[@am-one]

I escaped a socialist country 3 yrs ago and now I live in Panama as an expat. I flinched as a listened to this video. It's the same socialist rhetoric that I listened for 20 years. Here's the thing: socialism is not a system, it's an idea that points to a problem (inequality). Every attempt that has ever been made to turn this idea into an actual system has failed; my home country being an excellent example of that (its current state is extremely chaotic). I could write a whole book on this. And before anyone says that I don't know what I'm talking about, my experience comes from real life, not philosophy books nor personal reflections.

[@AJ-xm4xc]

You may be correct, but the current us is an example of democracy gone wrong. Meritocracy has only rewarded sociopaths who are very good at holding power.

[@danny41992]

That is your experience, maybe your beliefs belong in a capitalist country where the socio-economic condition is horrific for most of the population.

[@am-one]

@@danny41992 .......

[@am-one]

@@AJ-xm4xc There's something wrong with politics (not only in the US but across many countries my own included) but that has nothing to do with either democracy or meritocracy. I think it's the people. People choose the ones in charge and they choose poorly.

[@AJ-xm4xc]

@Ronald Reagan OUR democracy has consistently favored sociopaths and continues to do so. It’s not a secret. How many decent people can you find amongst the corporate elite for example?

[@wadafik]

Eye-opening.

[@kenperlman2204]

Does this apply to athletes and celebrities or just to professionals , businessmen and financiers?

[@freesk8]

Good one! Imagine trying to apply an egalitarian scheme, by force, on professional athletes? Do the stars go from multi-million dollar contracts down to six figures, just so the third string can make more? Absurd! Nicely argued! :)

[@catherinedee981]

Ken Perlman People have different drives, ambitions and talents. Thats nature.

[@tuvantrader]

To some degree, of course, it would. Can you realistically say that many top athletes aren’t paid overinflated salaries? There’s no question that an athlete has to suffer and work hard to get to the top, but they rely on the labor of essential workers just like we all do. Perhaps better than relating top athletes to “third stringers” would be relating them to college athletes who make nothing for a multi-billion dollar enterprise. Their merit, at best, means a slim chance to play in the big leagues and finally make some money,, while so many others reap the rewards of their labor.

[@ghostriderstyxx300]

@@tuvantrader But what will a college athlete have at the end of his stint in the minor leaques? Hopefully the necessary tools to be successful in some other industry.

[@frankmaston]

Athletes and celebrities (I think you mean musicians, actors, performers etc.) make up less than 1% of the population, so it's safe to say success in entertainment would be the exception to the meritocracy we are discussing here

[@prashantkumarkapadia1536]

Extremely thanks for compelling me to thinks the other aspects for life.

[@AndroidCovenant]

Hey I saw him on Rising!!

[@windfall35]

I've watched this academic on several channels...and continue to be puzzled by each of his presentations. If I can describe it accurately, he sets out a narrative of statements that he wants us to accept without any factual evidence to support them. He says many nice and aspirational things including the nobility of work and the need for workers who do very basic tasks. Opportunity, pay and recognition...a spiritual transformation. it feeds what most of us ordinary folks want to believe and I'll bet he's getting lots of attention from the entertainment media. I don't disagree with his aspirational statements but forgive me if I believe something different than the accident of birth made it easy for me to become a doctor...or a scientist or a capitalist employing hundreds of thousands of people. Most of the very (very) successful people I have come across in my life in fact started from very humble beginnings- (some were way behind the eight-ball in fact). Many of the most talented people I've watched do not have University degrees (and they almost uniformly believe that Universities are not the place to learn if you want to be successful). The most pernicious omission of this breezy academic person however is the failure to recognize the level of work and effort and focus and application it takes for most of the most advanced roles in our society. You don't get there because of daddy's money - You're likely working thousands of unpaid hours and you're not home most evenings and many weekends. All work is noble and all who work deserve recognition. But some roles are vastly more important and demanding than others. And those that undertake to do them live very differently than I do.

[@utomocalvin]

"Falling short of a meritocratic ideal" is not inequality, but cronyism. Meritocracy was an opposition to the "blue blooded" mentality. That the nobility is born better and sudras caste is born lower than the rest of us, and it should stay that way for the rest of the person's life. Meritocratic culture does not concern itself of whose fault it is if a person is born dumb or lazy. Just that we should put the right people in the right position with the right compensation. If the son of a nobility was born dumb and lazy (through no faults of his own), and a son of a sudras was born diligent and clever (through luck), we choose the son of sudras as our finance director (for instance). That's the meritocratic ideal. We who live in a rich society can sometimes forget how harsh the world can be. We further this much as a society because we put the right people in the right job with the right compensation. Of course, we should recognize that people are born with unequal start and environment, some are luckier and some are unluckier than the others. And with that, I agree with the sentiment Michael was trying to tell us at the end of the talk: be humble and recognize the role of luck. But I don't agree with the sentiment of the talk's title: the tyranny of merit. I'm afraid getting rid of the meritocratic culture because it sounded harsh will be throwing the baby out with the bath water.

[@TheLastWanderingBard]

I commented something to much the same extent here too. So yes I 100% agree. Unfortunately, this channel (which I have now unsubbed to as of today) is more concerned with being a political reactionary channel at the moment than it is actually delivering anything meaningful. A lot of the rhetoric being employed in this video, as well as in Ted videos generally over the last year or so, have just been socialist talking points recycled over and over by various people being given favoritism by Ted, with nothing meaningful or even sincere coming from Ted themselves.

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

_"We further this much as a society because we put the right people in the right job with the right compensation."_ Except that is not even close to the truth.

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

@@TheLastWanderingBard : Because you want to keep your privilege does not automatically mean others are wrong. Also, roads, public schools, national healthcare, fire fighters, etc etc and even democracy itself are all social systems, and without them the U.S. would end up no different than Venezuela is today. In fact, that's exactly what's happening under trump's regime.

[@utomocalvin]

@@aylbdrmadison1051 "Except that is not even close to the truth." Yup, I agree that we are still plagued with cronyism. But shouldn't we strive for more meritocracy instead of less? That the most capable and hard working person should get the job and incentivize them accordingly? What's your proposed alternative to meritocracy?

[@guerlinesaintlouis4471]

I really love Him

[@HerosEloi]

His speech is so rich, lovely, so inspirational, and also naive...

[@iincisif8599]

stfu instead of stating an opinion without anything to support it, no one cares that you think that 2+2=x if you don't tell why , you dont even realize that?

[@miraakibaakib6774]

So it's 👏

[@cla99009]

He's right about some things, and misleading about others. It's amazing and disappointing to see how easily swayed people are by eloquence and passion.

[@dside_ru]

Regardless of whether I agree, you aren't convincing anyone by refuting the speaker's message without saying why. It just comes off as empty gloating.

[@iincisif8599]

@@dside_ru you said the same in a better way, nice

[@maggiexu3323]

All labor has dignity.

[@rosagapi]

You sir, are Absolutely right

[@Tactical_DZ]

Great wisdom. 👍

[@tgkprog]

A new ted every other day is good. Equality is important, but isnt success a mix, that is always there. Its always a mix of capability, chance and whether you actually try...

[@iincisif8599]

it's a matter of chance, success is a matter of chance.

[@cla99009]

Anybody who's actually studied it knows that success (at least in the Western Capitalist sense) is more a function of effort and perseverance than of talent and luck.

[@ettorefagioli1012]

If you're interested go check out the last Veritasium Video on this topic. this could clarify many things! Have a good day

[@jimgraham6722]

Its also important to bring back those industries that train and develop their workers, enabling them to gain good enterprise and life skills whether through apprenticeships or less structured on the job training.

[@allenmarkham]

And here, once again the wisdom of "Man values his gifts precisely in the degree that they are appreciated by others" is shown. Are 'essential workers' now, in the era of Covid 19, to be appreciated more? And are they to be compensated according to the new appreciation of their "gifts"?

[@aliyanmehtab5018]

Excellent question!!

[@edawg792]

@Ronald Reagan Trickle down economics doesn’t work and free market bullshit is a scourge on our society

[@edawg792]

@Ronald Reagan What a stupid argument. Poor people survive here despite neoliberal policies, not because of them.

[@edawg792]

@Ronald Reagan Great pivot away from your stupid argument. Who would have thought that the most densely populated areas have the most crime. Have any more genius insights?

[@karleells8603]

no worker gets paid for breathing. they get paid for results -- thus merit is king. Sandel is nothing more than a liberal academic that lives in a fantasy land. Essential workers work for businesses that were created before a job was ever posted. workers are nothing without ownership and management.

[@rekhatripathi5726]

"...attitude about losing or winning. Those who landed on top came to believe that their success was on their doing, a measure of their merit and those who lost out have no one to blame but themselves."

[@pickywolf2728]

@Ronald Reagan So the Queen Elisabeth 👑 struggled to be born a naturally Queen deserved huh ?

[@pickywolf2728]

@Ronald Reagan 🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️ Dude if u don’t have anything to say just keep quiet. Plz ! U capitalists illusory meritocratic guys have ZERO discernment ! Just mumbling nonsense stuff and when we put u face to face with reality, u find cowardly the scapegoat. Pathetic .. But don’t worry..! It’s about time .. this scam system will end. U can believe me on that.

[@mohammadsaalimfarooqbhat4042]

As Rawls had already discussed, talents are accidental, we need not to take pride in them.

[@Objectivityiskey]

Rawls was an idiot and wouldn't know what it's like to have talents or how many hours are needed to hone them into something useful.

[@mohammadsaalimfarooqbhat4042]

@@Objectivityiskey well, that is precisely where talent is confused with training. Training is a willful embodiment of effort while as talent is independent of training. Just like being naturally beautiful is independent of applying beauty products. Or if you think otherwise, then perhaps you fall for "swimmers body illusion".

[@Objectivityiskey]

@@mohammadsaalimfarooqbhat4042 "well, that is precisely where talent is confused with training." -----Can you demonstrate that this is true? "Training is a willful embodiment of effort while as talent is independent of training." From my experience, aptitude is only realized through training and practice. Pretending like practice isn't needed is the embodiment of an idiot that doesn't understand the difference. "Just like being naturally beautiful is independent of applying beauty products." ------Just as Capitalism is the natural state between productive and rational Individuals. "Or if you think otherwise, then perhaps you fall for "swimmers body illusion". " ------That's your own bias, I have nothing to comment on in swimmer land.

[@mohammadsaalimfarooqbhat4042]

@@Objectivityiskey firstly, I do not object to the need of practice or training, but I'm just tracing a difference in independent nature of talent. Your understanding of talent is ordinary and conventional, while I understand talent from Rawlsian perspective. For a better understanding you need to engage with The Theory of Justice, rather than raise the intellectual prize tag of your reply, while conforming to experiential bias. Second, you have gravely misunderstood my analogy while demeaning it with a false analogy of your own. Thirdly, you need to understand what "swimmers body illusion" means, in order to comment, rather than dismiss it, as an act of lazy escape.

[@gippo5971]

@@Objectivityiskey the ability ti train for hours a day, for years, without missing one session Is, in my humble opinion, a specific talent. And Rawls Is not an idiot, maybe you don't agree with him, but that doesn't make him an idiot.