The “Cult of Smartness” has led us through a series of disasters since the beginning of the 21st century. From unpopular and costly wars, to the collapse of our economy, and the drowning of New Orleans, the “fetishization of intellectual firepower” has valued destructive intelligence over compassion and empathy. The Nation‘s Editor-at-Large Chris Hayes, in his new book Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy, outlines the failings of our elites and how their lack of genuine concern for others has wrought havoc on the citizenry, and in some cases, even themselves.

Hayes sits down with The Nation Editor and Publisher Katrina vanden Heuvel to discuss the post-meritocratic rise in inequality, the newly radicalized upper-middle class, and the stubborn insistence that we should trust the smartest men in the room. Hayes will be speaking with vanden Heuvel tonight at The New School in New York City, click here to watch a live stream of the event and click here for more information.

—Max Rivlin-Nadler