158. THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL: the dark side o...

In its first King's Speech, the Labour government said that "greater devolution of decision making is at the heart of a modern dynamic economy and is a key driver of economic growth."Historically, why has the UK been so insistent on hoarding power centrally? And what's the potent ...  Show more

Ed has departed for government, and Geoff is left as custodian of the archive. As the Labour government makes its first raft of announcements and appointments, we delve into our back catalogue to find the ideas which might have influenced them. In this episode, we look at Rachel ...  Show more

What accounts for our polarized public life, and how can we begin to heal it? Political philosopher Michael Sandel offers a surprising answer: those who have flourished need to look in the mirror. He explores how “meritocratic hubris” leads many to believe their success is their ...  Show more

Does meritocracy create a better world for everyone, or does it create massive inequality? There's been a lot of debate in the last few years about meritocracy, and it's become even more pressing in light of the pandemic. If essential workers are "essential", are they really less ...  Show more

Michael J. Sandel is an American political philosopher, and Professor of Government Theory at Harvard University Law School. His public lectures have been viewed by tens of millions of people around the world, including in China, where Sandel was named the "most influential fo ...

Sam Harris speaks with Michael Sandel about the problem with meritocracy . They discuss the dark side of the concept of merit, the pernicious myth of the self-made man, the moral significance of luck, the backlash against "elites" and expertise, how we value human excellence, the ...  Show more