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Justice: A Reader 1st Edition

by Michael J. Sandel (Editor)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 156 ratings
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Justice brings together in one indispensable volume essential readings on justice and moral reasoning. With readings from major thinkers from the classical era up to the present, the collection provides a thematic overview of the concept of justice. Moreover, Sandel's organization of the readings and his own commentaries allow readers to engage with a variety of pressing contemporary issues. Looking at a host of ethical dilemmas, including affirmative action, conscription, income distribution, and gay rights, from a variety of angles--morally, legally, politically--the collection engages with the core concerns of political philosophy: individual rights and the claims of community, equality and inequality, morality and law, and ultimately, justice. With concise section introductions that put the readings in context, this anthology is an invaluable tool for students, teachers, and anyone who wishes to engage in the great moral debates that have animated politics from classical times to our own.
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  1. ISBN-10
    9780195335125
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0195335125
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  5. Publication date
    September 27, 2007
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    9.94 x 7.1 x 1.14 inches
  8. Print length
    412 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Michael Sandel is one of the most popular and influential college professors in America. For more than twenty years, hundreds of students at a time have packed into a Harvard University lecture hall to hear his discourses on justice; and hundreds have streamed out feeling a surprisingly personal connection with their gifted teacher. This book reveals Sandel's secret recipe for enthralling students with timeless questions of law, justice, and morality in a decidedly contemporary context."--Anita L. Allen, Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania Law School

"This thoughtful, stimulating, and convenient collection brings a range of classic moral and political philosophers--from Aristotle to John Stuart Mill--to bear on a range of contemporary controversies about justice. It invites readers to discover how their views on contemporary questions might be clarified, deepened and challenged by an encounter with enduring debates in moral and political philosophy."--Russell Muirhead, Associate Professor of Democracy and Politics, Dartmouth College

"This outstanding collection successfully blends historical and contemporary thought, on issues of theoretical and practical importance, to illuminate the main problems of justice. It is accessible to undergraduates in philosophy, with breadth and depth enough to engage the experienced philosophical reader hoping to rethink some central debates."--Michele Moody-Adams, Director and Professor of Ethics and Public Life, Cornell University

Book Description

The essential readings on justice and moral reasoning in one indispensable volume

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0195335120
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; 1st edition (September 27, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 412 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780195335125
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0195335125
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1210L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.7 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.94 x 7.1 x 1.14 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 156 ratings

About the author

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Michael J. Sandel

Michael J. Sandel

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Michael Sandel teaches political philosophy at Harvard University. He has been described as a “rock-star moralist” (Newsweek) and “the world’s most influential living philosopher.” (New Statesman) Sandel’s books--on justice, ethics, democracy, and markets--have been translated into more than 30 languages. His legendary course “Justice” was the first Harvard course to be made freely available online and has been viewed by tens of millions. His BBC series “The Global Philosopher” explores the ethical issues lying behind the headlines with participants from around the world.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
156 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

D. Kong
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Companion Book to Professor Sandel's Online Class
Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2013
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I bought this book for Prof. Michael Sandel's online Justice course. This book includes all the materials required to complete the online course and some more. It is 412 pages long with 14 chapters. Chapter 1. Introduction: Doing the Right Thing (The Queen v. Dudley and Stephen); Chapter 2. Utilitarianism (Principles of Moral and Legislation by Jeremy Bentham, and Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill); Chapter 3. Libertarianism (Free to Choose by Milton and Rose Friedman, Anarchy, State and Utopia by Robert Nozick, and The Constitution of Liberty by Friedrich A. Hayek); Chapter 4. Locke: Property Rights (Second Treatise of Government by John Locke); Chapter 5. Markets and Morals: Surrogate Motherhood, Military Service (Tragic Choices by Guido Calabresi and Philip Bobbit, Battle Cry of Freedom by James M. McPherson, All Go Down Together by James Thaub, In the Matter of Baby M, Is Women's Labor a Commodity? by Elizabeth S. Anderson); Chapter 6. Kant: Freedom as Autonomy (Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals and On the Supposed Right to Lie by Immanuel Kant); Chapter 7. Rawls: Justice as Fairness (A Theory of Justice by John Rawls); Chapter 8. Distributive Justice: Equality, Entitlement, and Merit (A Theory of Justice by John Rawls and Anarchy, State and Utopia by Robert Nozick); Chapter 9. Affirmative Action: Reverse Discrimination? (Racial Discrimination or Righting Wrongs? by Richard Bernstein, Hopwood v. State of Texas, Grutter v. Bollinger, Bakke's Case: Are Quotas Unfair? by Ronald Dworkins, Double Reverse Discrimination by Jefferson Morley, and Proxy Wars: Liberals Denounce Racial Profiling Conservatives Denounce Affirmative Action. What's the Difference? by Michael Brus); Chapter 10. Aristotle: Justice and Virtue (The Politics and Nichomachean Ethics by Aristotle); Chapter 11. Ability, Disability, and Discrimination: Cheerleaders and Golf Carts (A safety Blitz: Texas Cheerleaders Loses Status by Sue Anne Pressley, Honor and Resentment by Michael J. Sandel, Sorry, Free Rides Not Rights by Bob Ryan, Keep the PGA on Foot by Tom Kite, and PGA Tour v. Casey Martin); Chapter 12. Justice, Community and Membership (After Virtue by Alasdair MacIntyre, Democracy's Discontent by Michael J. Sandel, and Spheres of Justice by Michael Walzer); Chapter 13. Moral Argument and Liberal Toleration (Political Liberalism by John Rawls and Political Liberalism by Michael J. Sandel); Chapter 14. Morality and Law: Same-Sex Marriage, For and Against (Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health, Abolish Marriage by Michael Kinsley, Law. Morality and Sexual Orientation by John M. Finnis, Homosexuality and the Conservative Mind by Stephen Macedo, and Universalism, Liberal Theory, and the Problem of Gay Marriage by Robin West). Each chapter includes a short introduction that guides the reader on the critical issues.

Anyone who is interested in reading moral philosophy can read this as a stand alone book. Those who has enrolled or planning to enroll in Professor Michael Sandel's class will find this book very useful. Some of the important reading materials for the course are actually not included in the online course because of copyright issues. If you do not have this book, you will need to either borrow the actual literature from a public library or buy it. The online course is very intensive and, if you have this book, I recommend that you just follow the order of the materials but read a chapter ahead of the course.
17 people found this helpful
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Elizabeth Doyle
5.0 out of 5 stars Important historical collection, but is missing alternative points of view
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2021
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This is a great book and you can find the author’s lectures (which are companions to the book) on the Harvard Justice course website. My only disappointment was that there was not more variety in point of view- for example, women, blacks/BIPOC, non-binary, etc. For example, we hear from Locke on property rights- important as his theories informed the US policies/laws on property rights—but he was a colony administrator and invested in businesses dependent upon slave labor. It’s obvious he’s trying to justify colonization. At this point in our “evolution”, it seems reasonable to have more than a singular point of view.

No question this is a good collection, but you will find absolutely nothing radical here to challenge old exclusionary ways of thinking.
One person found this helpful
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Jerrod
4.0 out of 5 stars Read, think, discuss
Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2018
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This book is divided into chapters of different perspectives on the question of moral philosophy: “what is the right thing to do?” when it comes to issues of gay rights, income distribution, affirmative action, and many other topics.

For instance, you’ll read selections from the work of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill on Utilitarianism, then grapple later with Milton and Rose Friedman on Libertarianism, before getting to even more philsophical schools of thought from Aristotle, Rawls, Kant, and even Sandel himself.

Don’t expect this to be light reading. This is a textbook, more or less, and is not meant to be more easily digested like previous popular books by Sandel, or even his Harvard Justice videos you may have seen on Youtube. This is rigorous stuff, especially if you are someone new to the study of the subject matter. If you are a student, someone who reads philosophy for fun, or maybe just an autodidactical sort, well, you’ll likely be just fine.

Regardless of how you come to the book, the point is to engage with the ideas. Read the work, think about the questions, and then discuss with others.
3 people found this helpful
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Morgan Scott Phenix, author: A Story Worth Telling, Elizabeth's Story, Remind Me and Others
5.0 out of 5 stars Great course, great book, super audio
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2010
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Michael Sandel's book is a solid rendering of the on-line PBS course. A superb alternate experience is the audio-book, which captures the warmth and humor and interactive intelligence of Professor Sandel's class. On-line college instructors could gain much from watching the series, imagining the potential for video portrayals in addition to the usual textual discourse seen in on-line instruction. Likewise, listening to the exchanges between professor and student in the audio-book format provides an excellent introduction to Sandel's dialogic style. Top quality, truly worthwhile.
10 people found this helpful
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Jacqueline L.
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book. I bought this for a class on ...
Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2016
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Excellent book. I bought this for a class on legal philosophy, and this was concise and clear enough for me to understand it. While my professor pointed out stuff he thought were flaws, he on the whole thoroughly recommended this as a reference for the future. Would buy again if absolutely necessary.
2 people found this helpful
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Darrell Voitik
5.0 out of 5 stars Justice: A Reader
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2012
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This is only part of the product I bought into; I'm taking the course on line @ Harvardjustice. Professor Sandel is excellent, as well as the book of the accumulated reading for this on-line course. The reading requires some heavy lifting compared to reading a novel, but well worth using my brain in a strenuous manner for a change. A great exercise for all who believe in an active democracy.
4 people found this helpful
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Isabel Sobral Campos
5.0 out of 5 stars As described
Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2021
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Just as described, which is rare these days with used books on Amazon. Thanks a lot!
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Bill Clarke
5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone concerned about "how to do the right thing" should read this.
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2013
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Excellent discussion of the effort to come up with societal ethics. Good to read a chapter, and then go to Sandel's Harvard website and watch a corresponding lecture video. It's good, too, because Sandel takes the reader through all the consequences of a given way of approaching ethics (for instance, a lot of people think Libertarianism is good because they imagine that it gives them more personal freedom, but Sandel points out just how selfish freedom without responsibility turns out to be.
7 people found this helpful
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Steve
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on October 18, 2014
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Item as described! Thanks
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smidirin
5.0 out of 5 stars A Just Companion!
Reviewed in Germany on June 30, 2013
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Not one of Sandel's very popular works on political philosophy, rather the companion reader to his real "justice" course at Harvard, and I think a terrific eclectic collection including writings from Bentham, Locke, Aristotle, Kant, Rawls (and Himself!), which may very possibly be a source of reference for years to come. Really good investment in the written word and intellectual investigation.
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Thank you
5.0 out of 5 stars What is justice and how do we achieve it.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 10, 2013
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An excellent list of readings from some of the greatest thinkers on justice, and what it means to people living in a community,
and society.
What Socrates said about the most important thing that humans can discuss is how we should live together.
These readings go a long way to answering some of these questions.
One person found this helpful
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ダイキチ
5.0 out of 5 stars 中身も難易度も歯ごたえのある文章が多い
Reviewed in Japan on June 18, 2010
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NHKで放送された、『ハーバード白熱教室』の授業の副読本。授業で取り上げられる論点や論法は、かなり分かり易く整理されている。 その数々の意見文の原典(カントやアリストテレスは英訳)が、かなりまとまった形で取り上げられている。 授業では簡潔に「リバタリアニズム」とだけ説明されるな考えも、ノージック、フリードマンそしてハイエクの有名な著作の引用で味わうことができる。 他の方のレビューではこれがテレビの内容を書いた教科書かのような記述があるが、それは違う。確かにテレビで見知らぬ日本人男性が持っているのはこの本。しかし授業の内容の引用元・資料集なので念の為。リーディングアサインメントという、授業の前の読書課題がまとまった便利な本。まあリーダーとタイトルにあるから間違わないとは思うが…。いつも彼は真ん中あたりをみているが、カントかロールズの文章があの辺です。 後半にサンデル自身の文章がいくつかあり、彼があまり授業で強調しない自身の思想を窺わせる。ロールズの文と対で章立てしてあったりするし。日本語訳された本の帯にコミュニタリアニズムとか書いてあるが、それはあちらに書いてないので、読みたければこちらを。とはいえ共和制については殆ど言及されません。ハミルトンの文章も入ってないし。主題が倫理じゃなくて自由の担保や体制の是非など制度論だからかな。 これまた老婆心だが、古い文章で今は使われない単語やその用法、法律文章特有の文体など、なかなか歯ごたえがある。ほぼ授業と同内容でやさしい英語の分かり易いの教科書の方とは違い、あれが読めたり二重音声で英語が少し聞き取れるくらいだと、かなりシンドイ読書になる。 いろんな人の主要著作の主要部分が読めるので、オムニバス好きで思想書好きな方にはオススメです。岩波文庫には訳されていないロックの市民政府二論(統治論二篇とか今は書いてあるんかな)の二も入ってるし。 しかし、ヘラルドトリビューンの論説分からないくらいなら買っても読み進められません。 以上、やや苦労して読んだご報告でした。
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J Park
4.0 out of 5 stars Note that this is an academic book......not really for a general reader, such as me.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 27, 2020
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since you ask "What did you use it for?".......I found it most useful for keeping the door open.
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