Author and Harvard Professor Michael Sandel discussed his new book, “The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good” on Hill TV’s “Rising” Tuesday.
“The main purpose of the book is to gain a sense of what’s gone wrong in civic life, why [there is] deep polarization,” Sandel said. “It’s not just about inequality of income and wealth. It’s also about changing attitudes toward success.”
He said classism led to the polarization that paved the way for a populist presidential candidate, such as President Trump.
“Those who have landed on top have come to believe that their own success is their own doing, that they deserve the bounty the market showers on them, and by implication those who fell behind must deserve their fate as well,” Sandel said. “This generates the resentment that makes many working people turn against the Democratic party and mainstream parties and to embrace populist figures like Donald Trump.”
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