Sandel Talks Social Justice & Ethics

Michael Sandel, a Harvard political philosophy professor and best-selling author, came to Boston College’s campus to discuss justice and ethics with freshmen in the Carroll School of Management. Sandel began his talk by addressing people’s frustration with decision making in politics. Referencing how decisions are made, Sandel claimed that, “Philosophy belongs in the city where citizens gather, where we figure out what is the right thing to do.” He reminded students of the three different ways to think about justice: utilitarianism, duty and the categorical imperative, and cultivating good character.

Asking the audience why people did not ask themselves the important questions in life, Sandel transitioned his talk into a public discourse. He invited students to stand up and defend their beliefs on different morally challenging scenarios involving relevant, global political topics such as an individual’s citizenship status. Various students addressed the crowd and justified their thought processes, having back-and-forth debates with both Sandel and other students in the room.

Sandel’s inclusion of discourse in his talk opened our eyes to see and understand the varying perspectives of different people in the room. In closing, Sandel emphasized that avoiding the big, important questions and remaining neutral does not represent mutual respect for others. In fact, Sandel believes that dodging uncomfortable conversations “leads to a failure to respect moral convictions....To respect our fellow citizens is to engage and listen and argue with them.” Sandel’s belief in an open and honest public dialogue is rooted in the idea that it will lead to a better way of learning, and thus a more moral political system.

Jack Davis '17, Winston Ambassador