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"Sandel offers a primer on a number of theories of justice and applies them to questions that are (or have been) the subject of political discourse. Emphasizing the accessibility of the material, Sandel presents summaries of these theories that are clear and easy to understand." - AudioFile
“Sandel maintains a consistently engaging tone, and his probing moral questions about the nature of freedom, choice, truth and the individual are brought down to an accessible and stimulating level.” – Winston-Salem Journal
“This work is an appealing invitation for listeners to use more scrutiny regarding their won actions as well as those of politicians and media personalities. The depth and total absence of righteousness in the author’s writing and vocal tone make this an essential lesson for anyone interested in promoting individual virtue and social justice.” – AudioFile
Product Description
What are our obligations to others as people in a free society? Should government tax the rich to help the poor? Is the free market fair? Is it sometimes wrong to tell the truth? Is killing sometimes morally required? Is it possible, or desirable, to legislate morality? Do individual rights and the common good conflict?
These questions are at the core of our public life today—and at the heart of Justice, in which Michael J. Sandel shows how a surer grasp of philosophy can help us to make sense of politics, morality, and our own convictions as well.
Sandel’s legendary Justice course is one of the most popular and influential at Harvard. Up to a thousand students pack the campus theater to hear Sandel relate the big questions of political philosophy to the most vexing issues of the day. In the fall of 2009, PBS will air a series based on the course.
Justice offers listeners the same exhilarating journey that captivates Harvard students—the challenge of thinking our way through the hard moral challenges we confront as citizens. It is a searching, lyrical exploration of the meaning of justice, an audiobook that invites readers of all political persuasions to consider familiar controversies in fresh and illuminating ways. Affirmative action, same-sex marriage, physician-assisted suicide, abortion, national service, the moral limits of markets, patriotism and dissent—Sandel shows how even the most hotly contested issues can be illuminated by reasoned moral argument.
Justice is lively, thought-provoking, and wise—an essential new addition to the small shelf of books that speak convincingly to the big questions of our civic life.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easy on the eyes but yet intellectually stimulating,
This review is from: Justice (Paperback)
I ordered this book along with a few others for one of my classes, and since it looked like the most interesting one of them all, I decided to read it in advance. And I have certainly made the right choice. Even though Sandel covers some complex thinkers like Immanuel Kant and John Rawls, he manages to summarize and present their theories in a very simple way that pretty much anyone can understand. He also uses plenty of modern day examples to get the point across, in case you still have doubts that this may go over your head. I consider this to be an excellent book, and I think I will most certainly reread it at some point in the foreseeable future.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good on the Harvard prof,
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This review is from: Justice (Paperback)
Professor Sandel has done something remarkable. Through thoughtful, lucid writing with lots of illustrations taken from our everyday experiences and daily news events he has made some complex philosophical concepts not just accessible but also absorbing and entertaining.His book is not about criminal justice or the legal system. Nor does it dwell on resolving specific moral dilemmas although there is certainly constructive help towards that objective. Rather, it is concerned with how to construct a just society. As Professor Sandel states, "to ask whether a society is just is to ask how it distributes the things we prize...," things like; wealth, rights, powers, offices and honours. Over the centuries three approaches to distribution have come to the fore; maximizing welfare, respecting freedom and cultivating virtue. Professor Sandel explores each approach in detail, drawing on philosophers from Aristotle through Mills and Kant to contemporary thinkers like Rawls and Alasdair MacIntyre among others. If you ever wished an insight into Kant or Rawls I cannot think of a better place to start. Professor Sandel concludes by suggesting society today might benefit from a greater use of the third approach to achieving a just society: cultivating virtue. This was the approach Aristotle favoured but in recent times western liberal thought has focused more on respecting freedom (or rights). Think of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the endless procession of items being added, almost daily, to the list of basic human rights. Meanwhile, cultivating virtue has come to be associated with narrow fundamentalist thinking. Without denigrating the respect for freedom he demonstrates cultivating virtue is not necessarily limiting and might be helpful, even essential, to solving current moral issues. As they are throughout the book, Professor Sandel's arguments are thoughtful and persuasive. A worthy book that is a joy to read, a pleasure to ponder and, Professor Sandel would hope, fodder for discussion.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
It would have been nice to see Marx in here somewhere!,
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This review is from: Justice (Paperback)
I agree with Alina's previous review - this is a really good book. It's thought provoking, informative, and the writing flows in an easy, conversational style. Sandel says in chapter one, "To ask whether a society is just is to ask how it distributes the things we prize." (p. 19) In other words, political philsophy is very much about distributive justice - who gets what in society, and why. In this case, it seems to me that Marx is a very odd omission from Sandel's overview. He's the primary critic of standard liberalism and neoliberal capitalism, and the heart and soul of his writing is about distributive justice. If you find that you would miss this in a book on Justice as well, you might want to check out John Rawls' Lectures on the History of Political Philosophy (Samuel Freeman, Ed., 2007). In fact, read 'em both! Cheers, Ron
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