Michael Sandel
Also known as Michael J. Sandel, Michael Joseph Sandel
American political philosopher, born 1953; teaches the Justice course at Harvard.
At a glance
Main ideas
The unencumbered self, Moral limits of markets, The tyranny of merit …
See all 4Books to start with
Liberalism and the Limits of Justice, Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?, What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets …
See all 4Connections
A Theory of Justice and What Money Can't Buy
See all 2
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Sandel is an American political philosopher and the Anne T. and Robert M.
- Bass Professor of Government at Harvard.
- His course Justice was Harvard's first to be made freely available online and on television.
- He is known for his communitarian critique of John Rawls in Liberalism and the Limits of Justice (1982).
- His later books argue for moral limits on markets and against meritocracy.
Why it matters
- His Justice lectures have been watched by tens of millions, and his books are a common starting point on what markets and merit should not decide.
Key facts
- Born
- 5 Mar 1953, Minneapolis, Minnesota1
- Education
- BA in politics, Brandeis (1975); doctorate in politics, Balliol College, Oxford (1985), as a Rhodes Scholar, under Charles Taylor1
- Position
- Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Government, Harvard; joined Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences in 19811
- Justice
- More than 15,000 students have taken it; the fall 2007 class had 1,1151
- Lectures
- BBC Reith Lectures, "A New Citizenship", 20091
- Public service
- President's Council on Bioethics under George W. Bush1
- Honours
- Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2002); Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences (2018); Berggruen Prize (2025)1
Main ideas
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The unencumbered self1
Rawls's veil of ignorance assumes people without ties; Sandel argues we are encumbered by ties, such as family, we never chose.
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Moral limits of markets1
Some things, such as body organs, should not be bought and sold, and market thinking can corrupt moral values.
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The tyranny of merit1
Meritocracy and the promise "you can make it if you try" breed the anger behind populism.
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Teaching by argument1
His Justice lectures use the Socratic method, starting from cases such as ticket scalping.
Books to start with
The line under a date fills as it gets older: empty when new, full at 2 years.
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Liberalism and the Limits of Justice1
His communitarian critique of Rawls.
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Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?1
The book of his Harvard course.
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What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets1
What should not be for sale.
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The Tyranny of Merit1
Against meritocracy, for the common good.
Connections
Links
Sources
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