![]() Jennifer Morton, welcome to Hidden Brain.Jennifer Morton: I'm delighted to be here, Shankar.Shankar Vedantam: What are some of the classic ingredients we recognize in strivers, the people who are on this path to upward mobility? What are the ingredients that we think go into the American dream?Jennifer Morton: For the most part, strivers are, as you might expect, ambitious, hard working, smart, but also I think are willing to make trade-offs in the pursuit of those ambitions. She doesn't mean lying or cheating, but something subtler and far more consequential. Philosopher Jennifer Morton argues there is another, less obvious ingredient in the story of upward mobility: a willingness to make ethical trade-offs. Shankar Vedantam: Determination, enterprise and sacrifice have long been core ingredients in the story of the American dream. This week on Hidden Brain, we consider the complex trade-offs involved in climbing the ladder of upward mobility. Many, in fact, are deeply torn about what it means to climb the economic and social ladder. But in the real world, not all who climb that marble staircase are indifferent to the problems they've left behind. As a parable, it's a powerful warning about the dangers of wealth and luxury. The crowns he sees below are in fancy clouds and their moans are now hymns.Jennifer Morton: So by the time he gets to the top and he is there with the other wealthy and well-to-do people, he can no longer even really recognize the problems down below where he came from.Shankar Vedantam: The young man has forgotten the people he left behind. The young man protests, but the devil assures him a better heart and a new memory. He wants to replace the young man's memory and his heart. To go higher, the devil asks him to trade in his eyes for a new pair.Jennifer Morton: And he can no longer see the people moaning down below and who are suffering.Shankar Vedantam: He's near the top. And so, the devil lets him walk up a few steps.Jennifer Morton: Now he can no longer hear the people below who are moaning out of hunger and distress.Shankar Vedantam: The young man is still only partway up the stairs. He wants to replace his hearing with a new pair of ears. The young man protests, "I am poor, a youth in rags," he says, "But I'm willing to give up my life." The devil says he doesn't want the young man's life. Blocking the young man's ascent to the party above is the devil himself.Jennifer Morton: The devil asks him if he wants to get closer to the top.Shankar Vedantam: There's just one catch. He's gazing up at the wealthy people above him.Jennifer Morton: Who are enjoying themselves and having drinks, while the people down below don't have enough food to eat and are really suffering.Shankar Vedantam: This is philosopher Jennifer Morton. The Tale of the Stairs is about an impoverished young man standing at the foot of a marble staircase. ![]() But a century ago, a poet named Hristo Smirnenski wrote a parable that raises important questions about the nature of upward mobility. Doing better than your parents, having a better education, living a better life, this is universally seen as a good thing. ![]() ![]() ![]() Shankar Vedantam: This is Hidden Brain, I'm Shankar Vedantam. Our transcripts are provided by various partners and may contain errors or deviate slightly from the audio. The transcript below may be for an earlier version of this episode. ![]()
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