In his latest book, The Tyranny of Merit, Harvard professor Michael Sandel tells us that we have a problem. We live in an increasingly meritocratic society — and that’s a bad thing. The successful increasingly feel they owe nothing to the society that made their accomplishments possible. And universities are part of the problem.Article content continued
First, the competition is gruelling and soul-destroying for kids who become obsessed with grades to the point of making themselves anxious and miserable. This does not augur well for their chances of flourishing at university.
Third, the growing polarization and rancour in our politics reflects a rift between elites and everyone else. The educated and well-to-do are pulling away, deepening resentment and anger among those left behind. Those who are not rising are told it is their fault, while those whose unearned privileges have grown are celebrated.
Nor would a lottery neutralize privilege. A lottery system would introduce an element of luck in the hope of stimulating a sense that doing well is not only a matter of hard work and talent but also of good fortune. To attenuate the deeper problem of privilege and inequality we must look to grants, scholarships, progressive tax incentives, support for racialized students and faculty, and other policies.
Source: Education Headlines (educationheadlines.net)
No, just stop filling all the desks with offshore billionaires kids.
This is bizarre. A person’s future shouldn’t be determined by chance. What happens to the person who loses a lottery when otherwise qualified?