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Why 'Merit' Should be Rejected: Michael Sandel Debates John Gray

Michael Sandel Harvard University

Professor of Government

1:19:40·2026·graduate level·Public Colloquium

Michael Sandel critically examines the concept of meritocracy, arguing its failure has fueled populist discontent and elite detachment. He challenges modern interpretations of Adam Smith and John Maynard Keynes against classical philosophical and Christian traditions of virtue and duty, culminating in a debate with John Gray.

Philosophy Moral & Political Philosophy Distributive Justice Ethics Social Theory

This lecture offers a radical new approach to how we organise the economy and what we value in society. Its themes are the failure of populism and of the status quo: the idea that success is down to merit cannot be sustained, and it leads elites to neglect their duties to others.

A debate with John Gray then presses the same questions from another direction.

Referenced inHacker News · 3 discussions

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