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Michael Sandel

Michael Sandel Quotes

Philosopher

Michael Sandel is a renowned American philosopher known for his contributions to ethics and political philosophy. His writings and teaching style have been well-received by students and the public, particularly for his in-depth exploration of moral and justice issues.

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Famous Michael Sandel Quotes

“To argue about justice is unavoidably to argue about virtues, about substantive moral and even spiritual questions.”

Spiritual Justice Moral Virtue Arguing

Author:Michael Sandel

“I find this in all these places I've been travelling - from India to China, to Japan and Europe and to Brazil - there is a frustration with the terms of public discourse, with a kind of absence of discussion of questions of justice and ethics and of values.”

Kind Values Term Justice Ethics Europe India China Absence Discussion Frustration Japan Discourse Brazil Public Discourse Places I've Been

Author:Michael Sandel

“The simplest way of understanding justice is giving people what they deserve. This idea goes back to Aristotle. The real difficulty begins with figuring out who deserves what and why.”

People Way Giving Ideas Real Understanding Justice Deserve Difficulty Simplest

Author:Michael Sandel

“There's no necessary connection between maximizing social utility or economic wealth and creating a flourishing democracy. The first does not guarantee the second. The only way to create a flourishing democracy is to find ways to reason together about the big questions, including hard questions about justice and the common good, to reason together about these questions so that we as citizens can decide how to shape the forces that govern our lives.”

Reason Together Wealth Justice Common Democracy Economic Utility Common Good

Author:Michael Sandel

“First, individual rights cannot be sacrificed for the sake of the general good, and second, the principles of justice that specify these rights cannot be premised on any particular vision of the good life. What justifies the rights is not that they maximize the general welfare or otherwise promote the good, but rather that they comprise a fair framework within which individuals and groups can choose their own values and ends, consistent with a similar liberty for others.”

Source: Public Philosophy: Essays on Morality in Politics

“Whether you're a libertarian liberal or a more egalitarian liberal, the idea is that justice means being non-judgmental with respect to the preferences people bring to public life.”

People Mean Ideas Justice Libertarian Preference Public Life Judgmental Egalitarianism Non Judgmental

Author:Michael Sandel

About the Author

Born: March 5, 1953
Known for: Philosopher
Quotes: 68

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Thinking Children Moral Humans Kind Way Ifs Parent Values Debate Justice Our Children People Trying Consumers Doe Goods Social Tradition Citizens

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Books & Sources

What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of MarketsRelated source material

Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?Related source material

Public Philosophy: Essays on Morality in PoliticsRelated source material

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