MICHAEL SANDEL
Political Philosopher
Professor, Harvard University
Harvard political philosopher and bestselling author Michael Sandel challenges audiences
to examine the ethical dilemmas we confront in politics and in our everyday lives. One
of Foreign Policy's Top 100 Global Thinkers, Sandel has been described as “the most
relevant living philosopher,” “a rock-star moralist" (Newsweek), and “the most famous
teacher of philosophy in the world.” (New Republic)
Sandel’s legendary course "Justice" has enrolled over 15,000 students and was the first
Harvard course to be made freely available online and on public television. It has been
viewed by millions of people around the world, including in China, where China
Newsweek named him the “most influential foreign figure of the year.”
In his New York Times bestseller Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do?, Sandel takes
readers on a fascinating journey of moral reflection and shows how reasoned debate can
illuminate democratic life. Translated into 27 languages, Justice has sold over two million
copies worldwide and inspired public debate about the ethical and civic questions of our
time.
In his latest bestseller, What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets, Sandel
invites readers to rethink the role that money and markets should play in our lives. One
of Foreign Policy’s "20 must-read books” of the year, reviewers have called it “brilliant,
easily readable, and often funny,” an “eloquent argument for morality in public life.”
Sandel served for four years on the President's Council on Bioethics, exploring the ethical
implications of new biomedical technologies. This prompted him to write The Case
Against Perfection: Ethics in the Age of Genetic Engineering, a book about the moral
quandaries that arise when we seek to perfect our children and ourselves. His other books
include Democracy’s Discontent, Liberalism and the Limits of Justice, and Public
Philosophy: Essays on Morality in Politics.
Sandel’s lectures have been the subject of television series on PBS and the BBC. His
ongoing BBC radio series, “The Public Philosopher,” engages audiences in debates about
the big philosophical questions lying behind the headlines. He has appeared on The
Colbert Report, the Today Show, Morning Joe, and Charlie Rose.
Described by The Guardian as “the man who is currently the most effective
communicator of ideas in English,” Sandel’s books and online lectures have brought him
“the kind of popularity usually reserved for Hollywood movie stars and NBA players.”
(China Daily) His recent lecture tours have taken him across five continents and packed
such venues as St. Paul’s Cathedral (London), the Sydney Opera House, and an outdoor
amphitheater in Seoul, Korea, where 14,000 people came to hear him speak.