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Michael Sandel

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Michael J. Sandel (born March 5, 1953) is a political philosopher and a professor at Harvard University. He is best known for his critique of Rawls' Theory of Justice (1971) in his Liberalism and the Limits of Justice (1982).

Education

Sandel graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Brandeis University in 1975, and received his doctorate from Balliol College at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, where he studied under Charles Taylor.

Philosophical views

Sandel subscribes to the theory of communitarianism (although he is uncomfortable with the label), and in this vein he is perhaps best known for his critique of John Rawls's A Theory of Justice. Rawls' argument depends on the assumption of the veil of ignorance, which allows us to become "unencumbered selves."

Sandel's view is that we are by nature encumbered to an extent that makes it impossible even in the hypothetical to have such a veil. Some examples of such ties are the ties we make with our families, which we do not make by conscious choice but are born with them already attached. Because they are not consciously applied, these ties are impossible to separate from someone. Sandel believes that only a less-restrictive, looser version of the veil of ignorance can be possible. Rawls's argument, however, depends on the fact that the veil is restrictive enough that we make decisions without knowing who will be affected by these decisions, which of course is impossible if we are already attached to people in the world.

Teaching

Justice

Sandel has taught the famous "Justice"[1] course at Harvard for two decades. More than 10,000 students have taken the course, making it one of the most highly attended in Harvard's history. The fall 2007 class was the largest ever at Harvard, with a total of 1,115 students.[2] The fall 2007 course was recorded, and is offered online for students nationwide through the Harvard Extension School. An abridged form of this recording is now a 12-episode TV series, in a coproduction of WGBH and Harvard, Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do? with episodes available on the Justice website.[3] There is also an accompanying book,[4] together with the sourcebook of accompanying readings.[5]

Other teaching

Sandel also co-teaches with Douglas Melton "Ethics and Biotechnology", a seminar considering the ethical implications of a variety of biotechnological procedures and possibilities.

Public service

Sandel previously served on the George W. Bush administration's President's Council on Bioethics.

Authorship

Sandel is the author of multiple publications including Democracy's Discontent and Public Philosophy. His Public Philosophy is a collection of his own previously published essays, examining the role of morality and justice in American political life. He offers commentary on the roles of moral values and civic community in the American electoral process – a much-debated aspect of the 2004 U.S. election cycle and current political discussion. Sandel's latest book, The Case against Perfection: Ethics in the Age of Genetic Engineering, was published in 2007.

Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do? is announced for September 2009.

Michael Sandel gave the 2009 Reith Lectures on "A New Citizenship" on BBC Radio, addressing the 'prospect for a new politics of the common good' [6]. The lectures were delivered in London on May 18, Oxford on May 21, Newcastle on May 26 and Washington DC in early June [7].

Controversy

In 2009, he described a controversial 'solution' to immigration. Sandel suggested that the international community should impose annual refugee quotas on nations according to their wealth. Countries would be allowed to pay other, poorer countries to take refugees allotted under their quota.[8]

Sandel does not endorse this view. He merely uses it as an illustration of the markets inevitably presupposing and promoting certain norms. He concludes: "There is something distasteful about a market in refugees, even if it’s for their own good, but what exactly is objectionable about it? It has something to do with the fact that a market in refugees changes our view of who refugees are and how they should be treated. It encourages the participants — the buyers, the sellers and also those whose asylum is being haggled over — to think of refugees as burdens to be unloaded or as revenue sources rather than as human beings in peril."[9]

References

  1. ^ Justice: A Journey in Moral Reasoning, Michael J. Sandel
  2. ^ Makarchev, Nikita. "Sandel Wins Enrollment Battle." The Harvard Crimson. September 26, 2007.
  3. ^ "Justice"—On Air, in Books, Online, by Craig Lambert, September 22, 2009]
  4. ^ Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?, Michael J. Sandel, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, September 2009, ISBN 978-0-374-18065-2
  5. ^ Justice: A Reader, Michael J. Sandel, Oxford University Press, USA, September 27, 2007, ISBN 978-0-19533512-5
  6. ^ BBC Radio 4 Programme details for Start the Week, 25 May 2009.
  7. ^ Guardian, 5 February 2009, "Michael Sandel to deliver Radio 4's Reith Lectures".
  8. ^ Should We Sell American Citizenship? - Michael Sandel ForaTv
  9. ^ http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article6485444.ece
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