How to fight populism? Michael Sandel on renewing the dignity of work

Karl-Renner-Institut
Karl-Renner-Institut
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Published 2024-01-23
Michael Sandel spoke at an event organised by the Karl Renner Institute in Vienna on 18 January 2024.

He talked about the dark side of meritocracy: how the erosion of the dignity of work has created the anger and frustration from which right-wing populist movements around the world draw their strength.

Michael Sandel teaches political philosophy at Harvard University and is one of the most respected moral philosophers of our time. His works have been translated into 27 languages, and his course “Justice – what’s the right thing to do” has been watched by tens of millions of people on YouTube.


Kapitelwahl:

00:42 Gründe für den Zuspruch zu Populist:innen wie Trump
10:56 Die Schattenseite der Leistungsgesellschaft
20:41 Neoliberale Globalisierung und Demokratie
29:15 Die Würde der Arbeit erneuern
45:00 Öffentliche Debatten wiederbeleben


www.renner-institut.at
All Comments (21)
  • @gordonjameskerr
    There is much truth in this analysis and I have always admired Professor Sandel's breadth of vision. It is perhaps important to remember that even many of those with university degrees also live in relative poverty and are unable to escape the burden of debt which crushes their aspirations.
  • @himalidealwis8555
    Thank you very much for the excellent explanation. I wish more young people should listen this conversation to understand the world around us and the duty we should do on behalf of each other.
  • @busyb8676
    Great speech on the dignity of work and the 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉disappointment of the laboring class at feeling secure and appreciated. As a 94 year who has observed the changes in my country U.S.A. I would add that the expectations of both the laboring class and the college educated that their children could do as well or better has been dashed by the constant rise in the cost of living and their inability to save for the future. Added to this is the fact that corporations no longer care for their employees as they once did.The retirement plans are gone replaced by 401ks and shareholders and managers profits are primary resulting in profits for them and insecurity for the workers. We have gone backwards. Also our countries constant wars have raised our national debt incredibly with huge profits for the military industrial complex and insecurity for the rest of us. I am no longer proud to be an American as I was after World War Two. I feel we have lost our moral compass and are by driven by materialism and greed.
  • @colindant3410
    I vehemently disagree with the use of the pejorative word 'populist'. If what the MAJORITY of the electorate want are policies which they believe will act in their best interests, then so be it. This is democracy at work.
  • @Appleblade
    In 2024, this is what 'speaking truth to power' sounds like. Nice job, Prof. Sandel.
  • @bernardzsikla5640
    I very much enjoyed this lecture and agreed for the most part with Mr. Sandel perspective. I had one issue with the lecture. 1) Meritocracy really is the only sociological system that has even a fragment of fairness built in. The rest is a proto Marxian view of universal equality for all humans and historically, those attempts have not worked out as advertised. Nothing or no one is entitled to any fragment of equality in existence. From the simplest form of life to arguably, humans. Every lifeform has been extremely fortunate to even exist. The rest we all must fight for. Every life form is in a mortal battle for existence. None of us should ever forget this. We seem isolated from this fact, but the reality is just out of view for most humans.
  • @Judihui12
    I still regret that I wasn't there at this event but a few hundred meters away at the theater (and a bad play). I admire Michael Sandel since I followed his Justice-course here on Youtube. But thank you for putting the video of the event up here.
  • @NikosKoutsilieris
    He has a solid point on the erosive social dynamics that neoliberal "meritocracy" creates. Its not a meritocracy anyway. It is a marketocracy. The.madra " there is no society , only individuals, there are no societal goals only individual goals and careers" of neoliberal thinkers like hayek ( i mention him because he is one of the most articulate) has dominated our culture for far too long. Not to mention the technocratic matrix of tons of information mixed with advertisement mania etc. The modern individual is so fragmented and out societies are spinning out of control. We bought this fairytale of the world as a happy global supermarket for much too long. Plus : even thise with university degrees are buried in debt.
  • @benjamingeorgecoles8060
    The story he tells explaining the rise of Trump and Brexit and so on sounds very plausible to me, but I wish he's given just a little more empirical evidence in support of it. Otherwise, a great lecture - beautifully clear and well-structured and big-hearted, as always with this wonderful man.
  • @GeraldineGeh
    Many of my friends who never got a university degree are already comfortably retired (at 55 years old) and own their own homes and have had children. I have university degree in the humanities and have spent my entire life working for 10 dollar per hour jobs and less in seven countries in North America and Asia. Never owned a home or a car, no children and no hope pension and no hope of retiring. It took years to pay off student loans. It seems Michael Sandel has never recognized the fact of unemployment and under-employment among those with university degrees.
  • @user-wd3gt9dw5z
    Lavrentiy Beria , the manager of USSR nuc project was a school teacher of physics