Professor Michael Sandel on the 2009 Reith Lectures
Post categories: Michael Sandel, Reith, Reith 2009
| 09:04 AM, Tuesday, 9 June 2009
Like so many of his predecessors, the 2009 Reith Lecturer Michael Sandel says he was "honoured and excited" when he was first asked to accept this year's Reith wreath.
Professor Sandel spent four years at Balliol College, Oxford, as a graduate student, and says he was therefore aware of what he calls the lectures' "storied tradition" from an early age.
But there is also a more profound connection between this year's laureate and the Reith Lectures' stated goal of stimulating public understanding and debate about significant issues of contemporary interest.
A highly respected political philosopher, much of Professor Sandel's work has explored themes of democracy, public philosophy and the erosion of community and moral values, areas he felt were "a good fit with the Reith tradition".
Since that earliest graduate research begun at Oxford, Professor Sandel has been adamant that his work would not remain isolated in the metaphorical academic ivory tower, but would keep one foot resolutely in the real world:
"What I have tried to retain is a connection between the abstract ideas with which political philosophers deal, and the implications of those ideas for the actual workings of politics and the lives of citizens."
He wants his work to have a direct impact on policymakers and politicians - indeed he considered standing for political office early in his career, but says ruefully that political philosophy got him "hooked" and has never since released its grip.
So the theme of this year's lectures - "A New Citzenship" - draws on a lifetime's thinking about justice, democracy and notions about what might and should constitute an idea of the "common good". We need to decide, he believes, what kind of government we want, and actively fight for it.
And he believes the current geopolitical fragility (not to mention the UK MPs' expenses scandal) makes this the perfect time for such a debate.
Indeed, he argues that the fate of democracy itself is at stake: "Unless we find a way to rejuvenate, to reinvigorate, public discourse, so that it addresses things that matter, including large moral questions, I think the frustration with politics will continue and deepen."
"Democracy should ideally be an opportunity for citizens to deliberate about the common good," he adds, "rather than to be distracted entirely by the misbehaviour of politicians."
An accomplished and celebrated lecturer, Professor Sandel relished the opportunity to explore these themes with the live audiences at each of his four lectures. But he is also looking forward to engaging with the wider audience beyond:
"Radio programmes directed not only of course to those sitting in the hall at the time but also to the general public in Britain - and through the World Service to those around the world - seem to me a really wonderful and unique opportunity to provoke discussion."
Professor Sandel is clear he does not have definitive answers to the questions his lectures will pose; but in many ways simply having the debate is the most profound response he could hope for.
- The Reith Lectures home page and the 2009 lectures on the Radio 4 web site.
- The Reith Lectures 2009 podcast.
- Follow Reith2009 on Twitter.
- Professor Michael Sandel's biography on the Radio 4 web site.
- Scroll to the bottom of this page for a video of Professor Sandel discussing the lectures.
- Professor Sandel interviewed by Nigel Warburton on the Philosophy Bites blog.
- Lots of useful additional material on the Open University's web site.
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On Morality in Politics
In an otherwise scintillating presentation Professor Sandel's weakest answer was his last on climate change. The moral question arises with every carbon transforming activity. What is the purpose of the activity, what virtues does it honour? Our society faces the challenge of how to collectively reason on the merits of, for example taking a flight across the world to deliver a lecture, in the balance with the carbon it contributes to the atmosphere. On which activities shall we expend carbon and on which shall we exercise carbon austerity?
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The second formulation of Kant's categorical imperative; "Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, always at the same time as an end and never merely as a means to an end" seems central to his argument if, instead of exclusively 'humanity', all living things and natural resources are given the same status. The word 'merely' is essential, natural resources can be used as means to useful human ends and have intrinsic value and value according to other (non-human) relationships. Capitalism/ markets treat everything as means to an profitable end, minimising or denying the 'end in itself' or intrinsic value, whilst maximising the means to a profitable end. Peter Helm's argument that 'intergenerational equality' and 'neutrality' were sufficient moral arguments for climate change policy fails by falling into the same trap; ie. that natural resources are valuable only insofar as they are equitably distributed and are around for future generations i.e. they are means to human ends. The religious question is interesting because (amongst a lot of contradictory positions in the bible) there is a strong religious committment to intrinsic value (its God's world, not ours) and virtues which have been overwhelmed by contemporary rights based ethics (capitalist ethics) and dumbed down popular theological criticism.
Well done Michael!
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Prof Sandell is a case study of all those tortured feeble minded social workers of weak characters you' ve ever known who became juvenile delinquents. Like the teacher in Bennett' s The History Man he has become a "re-educated" victim of his own pupils so the question he raises is the one of discipline in delinquent environments.
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Consumers can be catalysed into responsible actions, as recent single-issue campaigns have proven, but momentum towards responsible citizenship has yet to emerge.
Large supermarkets arent helping here. In the wake of the global financial crisis there has been a proliferation of recession-busting messages from major retailers. They want to offer value in hard-pressed times. They want to be the consumers friend. But this is not the same thing as being the citizens friend.
At a time when market dogma looks discredited, the supermarkets have responded by offering more market dogma.
It would be good to see an end to the false distinction between value (me-centred actions) and responsibility (we-centered actions).
Both Tate & Lyle and Cadburys Dairy Milk recently converted all of their production to Fair Trade at no extra cost to customers, so it can be done.
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All Professor Michael Sandel on policial philosophys,more importance to Humanism is laudable.
Now a days.Social services to many persons by big film personalities.church goers,writers,lawyers are worth to understand of their inner urges.
Generally,common people will laugh on these eminent scholars words in the beginning.But,later onwards,when they started questioning on government slow activites like health care,educational reforms,bribery in some official circles,corporate adventurism all makes us atleast for recognition of sayings,writings from Michael Sandel,famous editors like The Telegraph,The Guardian,CNN,and from BBC!s sincere efforts of broadcasting world news now and then.
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