MSNBC

February 26, 2014 - 1:27am
The talk show host discussed America's meritocratic system and how it has led to elitism in his University Lectures Series speech.

At the beginning of his lecture Tuesday night, political journalist Chris Hayes asked the audience to participate in a thought experiment. He asked everyone to create an alternate universe consisting of sociopaths with no moral conscience.

“If you have a sense of superiority, that the laws don't apply to you, and combine it with a sense of precariousness, you would get something potent. You would get subjects that would be willing to do anything,” Hayes said. “This accurately describes the characteristics among groups that lead to dominance and success in America.”