Is Ambition a Religious Value?

Ross Douthat, Augustine, and Adam Smith

Is the pursuit of mastery an anti-religious endeavor? This is the question that Ross Douthat raises in his latest piece on meritocracy. Douthat considers the possibility that one reason more people aren’t Christian is that they’re depressed by the emphasis it places on being a sinner—as opposed to “bootstrapping oneself up.”

I don’t see why the pursuit …