Talking to ... Daniel Markovits

At a time when productivity theater, task masking, and sham
production have become commonplace, it is clear that we’re facing
a profound crisis of work, indeed, of everything considered
valuable in our society. Therefore, it isn’t surprising that the
principle of performance itself has come under criticism. This
crisis has drawn our attention to Daniel Markovits, whose work
explores whether the widely revered meritocracy is actually a
trap. Consider that the term meritocracy was coined just over
sixty years ago, suggesting that this could mark the beginning of
the gradual erosion of its meaning. Because the Ivy League
university system, whose tuition fees increase each year—so much
so that it's questionable whether many students could ever repay
them with their ›hands,‹ or more accurately, with their
minds—favors only those who have access to the necessary
financial resources, while excluding those born into less
comfortable circumstances. As a result, it is becoming
increasingly clear that we’re currently dealing with an
incestuous ruling class in which our elite universities exhibit
the characteristics of a closed society primarily focused on
self-reproduction. Nevertheless, it seems that this pale cast of
thought is affecting the students and graduates of these elite
institutions. Why else would it be seen as good form to portray
oneself as demonstratively overworked compared to those in lower
castes? This brings us back to where we began: the question of
whether all this might be a significant productivity charade
against our discontent with Modernity.


Daniel Markovits (born August 4, 1969) is the Guido Calabresi
Professor of Law at Yale Law School and the founding director of
the Yale Center for the Study of Private Law. His book The
Meritocracy Trap was named one of the best books of 2019 by The
Times.


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