Michael Sandel

professor, political philosophy, Harvard

Michael Sandel teaches political philosophy at Harvard University. His books — on justice, democracy, ethics, meritocracy, and markets — have been translated into more than 30 languages. He has been described as a “rock star moralist” (Newsweek) and “the world’s most influential living philosopher.” (New Statesman)

Sandel’s book The Tyranny of Merit: Can We Find the Common Good? seeks a way beyond the polarized politics of our time. A new edition of his classic book, Democracy’s Discontent, has been described as “essential — and ultimately hopeful — reading for all those who wonder if our democratic experiment will survive in the twenty-first century.” (Greta Krippner)

His previous books include Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do?; What Money Can’t Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets; and The Case Against Perfection: Ethics in the Age of Genetic Engineering.

Sandel’s legendary course “Justice” was the first Harvard course made freely available online and on television (WGBH and PBS) and has been viewed by tens of millions of people. His BBC series “The Global Philosopher” explores the ethical issues lying behind the headlines with participants from around the world.

Sandel has been a visiting professor at the Sorbonne, delivered the Tanner Lectures on Human Values at Oxford, served on the President’s Council on Bioethics, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

His lectures have packed such venues as St. Paul’s Cathedral (London), the Sydney Opera House (Australia), the Delacorte Theater in New York’s Central Park, and an outdoor stadium in Seoul (S. Korea), where 14,000 came to hear him speak.