Prof. Michael Sandel: Why the elites don’t deserve their status

Freddie Sayers meets Michael Sandel.

Read the supporting article: https://unherd.com/thepost/michael-sa...

Listen to the podcast version: https://shows.acast.com/lockdowntv-wi...

Do we deserve what we have? Are the elites any better than the rest of us? Do the right people get to run the world?

One political philosopher who attempts to tackle these big questions is Professor Michael Sandel. A Harvard professor since the 1980s and world famous author of many bestselling books, including 'What Money Can't Buy', and most recently, 'The Tyranny of Merit', Sandel has made the case for overhauling Western neoliberalism. The alternative society Sandel suggests is more forgiving of failure and confers cultural status onto building community rather than capital.

In a wide-ranging conversation with Freddie Sayers, Sandel explores how elite institutions from the Ivy League to Wall Street have given us the wrong idea about who deserves power.


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// TIMECODES //

00:00 - 00:43 - Introduction
00:43 - 02:53 - What constitutes a perfect society?
02:53 - 08:23 - Does meritocracy corrupt our sense of virtue?
08:23 - 11:19 - Does stripping away meritocracy become dehumanising?
11:19 - 14:30 - If meritocracy isn’t the way forward… what are the alternatives?
14:30 - 19:13 - How does Michael Sandel view the elites’ response to the pandemic?
19:13 - 26:37 - What is Michael Sandel’s view on universities becoming elitist?
26:37 - 30:48 - How would he change the university system?
30:48 - 39:43 - What Michael Sandel still be where he is now with a different upbringing?
39:43 - 44:34 - Should we accept our “gift” and pursue it as our only purpose?
44:34 - 45:02 - Concluding thoughts

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