Philosopher Michael Sandel has made a career of his “communitarian” critique of liberalism, especially as conceived by John Rawls in his famous defense of the liberal welfare state, A Theory of Justice. In Liberalism and the Limits of Justice, published in 1982, Sandel argued that Rawls’s version of liberalism, grounded in abstract, universal principles, was necessarily hostile to communal identity and values. Now, in The Tyranny of Merit, Sandel goes further, arguing that liberal societies give rise to a meritocratic ethos that undermines the public good.
According to Sandel, members of liberal societies will tend to hold meritocratic attitudes that moralize success as a deserved reward for talent and hard work. This leads to “hubris among the successful, and resentment among the disadvantaged,” something that Sandel believes helps explain the resurgence of populist nationalism, including the election of President Trump. Merit, Sandel notes, seems to be the fairest way of distributing success. But he argues that even the aspects of merit that seem to be under our control, such as hard work and intelligence, depend to a large degree on good fortune. We’re lucky to be born smart, lucky to get a good education, and even lucky to develop the character to work hard. If these traits and capabilities are not the results of our actions or decisions, Sandel argues, then we don’t deserve to be rewarded for possessing them.
