Whether it goes by the name “imposter syndrome” or FOMO, one of the most common fears in a meritocracy is the sense that everyone else belongs to the community except for me. In subtle and not so subtle ways, this fear shapes our decisions: who we associate with, what we study, and how we spend our time. In this seminar, Nathaniel Peters (Morningside) will lead a discussion of what this fear is and what we can do about it, in light of C.S. Lewis’s classic essay “The Inner Ring.”

This seminar is part of our Fall 2023 series Meritocracy and Its Discontents.