181. What’s So Great About Meritocracy?

Do you really deserve the credit for your accomplishments? Should college admissions be determined by lottery? And how did Mike’s contribution to a charity auction change his life?

SOURCES:Warren Buffett • , investor and philanthropist. James Flynn • , political philosopher at the University of Otago. Robert Frank • , professor emeritus of management at Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. Rogé Karma • , staff writer at The Atlantic • . Nicholas Lemann • , professor of journalism and dean emeritus at Columbia Journalism School. Daniel Markovits • , professor of law at Yale Law School. Charles Munger • , investor and philanthropist. John Rawls • , 20th-century legal and political philosopher. Guy Raz • , creator and host of How I Built This • and Wisdom from the Top • ; founder and C.E.O. of Built-It Productions. Michael Sandel • , professor of government at Harvard University. Martin Seligman • , professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. Ryan Smith • , founder and executive chairman of Qualtrics; owner of the Utah Jazz.

RESOURCES:The Tyranny of Merit: What's Become of the Common Good? • by Michael Sandel (2020). The Meritocracy Trap: How America's Foundational Myth Feeds Inequality, Dismantles the Middle Class, and Devours the Elite, • by Daniel Markovits (2019). • " 'The Meritocracy Trap,' Explained • ," by Rogé Karma ( Vox, • 2019). • " Reflections About Intelligence Over 40 Years • ," by James Flynn ( Intelligence, • 2018). • " Here’s Why Warren Buffett Says That He and Charlie Munger Are Successful • ," by Emmie Martin ( CNBC, • 2018). Success and Luck: Good Fortune and the Myth of Meritocracy, • by Robert Frank (2016). The Lottery, • film by Madeleine Sackler (2010). The Big Test: The Secret History of the American Meritocracy, • by Nicholas Lemann (1999). • “ The Psychology of Human Misjudgment • ,” speech by Charles Munger (1995).

EXTRAS: • " What’s the Point of I.Q. Testing? • " by No Stupid Questions • (2023). • " What’s So Bad About Nepotism? • " by No Stupid Questions • (2022).