Equality: What It Means and Why It Matters
About this audiobook
In this compelling dialogue, two of the world’s most influential thinkers reflect on the value of equality and debate what citizens and governments should do to narrow the gaps that separate us. Ranging across economics, philosophy, history, and current affairs, Thomas Piketty and Michael Sandel consider how far we have come in achieving greater equality. At the same time, they confront head-on the extreme divides that remain in wealth, income, power, and status nationally and globally.
What can be done at a time of deep political instability and environmental crisis? Piketty and Sandel agree on much: more inclusive investment in health and education, higher progressive taxation, curbing the political power of the rich and the overreach of markets. But how far and how fast can we push? Should we prioritize material or social change? What are the prospects for any change at all with nationalist forces resurgent? How should the left relate to values like patriotism and local solidarity where they collide with the challenges of mass migration and global climate change?
To see Piketty and Sandel grapple with these and other problems is to glimpse new possibilities for change and justice but also the stubborn truth that progress towards greater equality never comes quickly or without deep social conflict and political struggle.
About the author
Thomas Piketty is Professor of Economics at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales.
Michael J. Sandel is the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Government at Harvard University.
Stephen Graybill is an actor, producer, and award-winning voice-over artist. He was seen on television in The Girls Guide to Depravity, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order, and HBO’s The Wire. He has also acted on stage and done voice-overs for commercials, winning both a Gold Clio Award and a Silver Effie Award. He has also worked on over fifty audiobooks, including Jesus Swagger by Jarrid Wilson.
Incredibly curious about the world around him, Derek Dysart has always been a voracious reader. On childhood trips to the library, his mother would have to set limits on the amount of books he could check out (much to his dismay). He came to the world of spoken audio first via college radio, and later through hosting an interview podcast. After enjoying a career in software, his love for storytelling and connecting learners to information made audiobooks a natural fit. When not narrating audiobooks or attending his kids' activities, Derek can be found hiking, camping, or enjoying the great outdoors.
