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Adrian Wooldridge concludes by recommending a "remoralization" of meritocracy, where those with talent view their abilities as a public duty rather than just a source of personal reward. He warns against abandoning objective testing (like the SAT), arg
Season 8 Episode 1036
Adrian Wooldridge concludes by recommending a "remoralization" of meritocracy, where those with talent view their abilities as a public duty rather …
1 week, 4 days ago
Adrian Wooldridge analyzes the populist revolt against meritocracy, seen in Brexit and the election of Donald Trump. Populists argue that "experts" lack common sense and have become an arrogant, self-satisfied elite. Critics like Christopher Lasch contend
Season 8 Episode 1036
Adrian Wooldridge analyzes the populist revolt against meritocracy, seen in Brexit and the election of Donald Trump. Populists argue that "experts" …
1 week, 4 days ago
Adrian Wooldridge revisits the historical origins of hierarchy, noting that for most of human history, family connections and dynasties were the organizing principles of society. The concept of the Great Chain of Being suggested that everyone had a divine
Season 8 Episode 1036
Adrian Wooldridge revisits the historical origins of hierarchy, noting that for most of human history, family connections and dynasties were the org…
1 week, 4 days ago
Adrian Wooldridge examines the mid-20th-century backlash against meritocracy. Michael Young, who coined the term, warned that a "perfect" meritocracy would create an intolerable society where the successful feel superior and the unsuccessful have no socia
Season 8 Episode 1036
Adrian Wooldridge examines the mid-20th-century backlash against meritocracy. Michael Young, who coined the term, warned that a "perfect" meritocrac…
1 week, 4 days ago
Adrian Wooldridge highlights the historical blindness toward women's talent among 19th-century reformers who excluded them from competitive examinations. However, the meritocratic logic of objective measurement eventually provided women with the tools to
Season 8 Episode 1036
Adrian Wooldridge highlights the historical blindness toward women's talent among 19th-century reformers who excluded them from competitive examinat…
1 week, 4 days ago
Adrian Wooldridge discusses how the 19th-century search for talent was shaped by utilitarianism and liberal reforms. Reformers like John Stuart Mill remained suspicious of the masses, seeking to replace the landed aristocracy with an "aristocracy of talen
Season 8 Episode 1036
Adrian Wooldridge discusses how the 19th-century search for talent was shaped by utilitarianism and liberal reforms. Reformers like John Stuart Mill…
1 week, 4 days ago
Adrian Wooldridge notes that while pre-modern governance relied on patronage and nepotism, kings often appointed "lowly-born men" of extraordinary ability, like Thomas Cromwell, to ensure stability. Napoleon emerged as a transitional figure, embodying a "
Season 8 Episode 1036
Adrian Wooldridge notes that while pre-modern governance relied on patronage and nepotism, kings often appointed "lowly-born men" of extraordinary a…
1 week, 4 days ago
Adrian Wooldridge explains that for most of history, society was defined by a hierarchical presumption where individuals were born into "proper stations." This Great Chain of Being posited that social and natural orders were divinely ordained; disrupting
Season 8 Episode 1036
Adrian Wooldridge explains that for most of history, society was defined by a hierarchical presumption where individuals were born into "proper stat…
1 week, 4 days ago
Molly Beer. Guest Molly Beer covers Angelica's return to America for Washington's inauguration, where she found political reality more complicated than her romanticized memories. After returning permanently in 1797, she faced immense personal loss, includ
Season 8 Episode 1035
Molly Beer. Guest Molly Beer covers Angelica's return to America for Washington's inauguration, where she found political reality more complicated t…
1 week, 4 days ago
Molly Beer. Guest Molly Beer follows the family to Europe, where John Carter reclaims his identity as John Barker Church. Settling in London's Mayfair, Angelica navigated high society while remaining a fierce American patriot. Beer highlights Angelica's r
Season 8 Episode 1035
Molly Beer. Guest Molly Beer follows the family to Europe, where John Carter reclaims his identity as John Barker Church. Settling in London's Mayfai…
1 week, 4 days ago