Justice by Michael J. Sandel

Justice

What's the Right Thing to Do?

Michael J. Sandel

Farrar Straus & Giroux · Print & ebook · August 17, 2010

From the winner of the 2025 Berggruen Prize A renowned Harvard professor's brilliant, sweeping, inspiring account of the role of justice in our society--and of the moral dilemmas we face as citizens "For Michael Sandel, justice is not a spectator sport," The Nation's reviewer of Justice remarked.

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Who it’s for
Sandel connects enduring questions of justice to the moral dilemmas shaping public life.
Themes
Justice and political philosophy, Moral dilemmas in public life, Civic discourse and personal convictions
Genres
Ethics, Political Philosophy, Jurisprudence & Legal Theory

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About this book

From the winner of the 2025 Berggruen Prize A renowned Harvard professor's brilliant, sweeping, inspiring account of the role of justice in our society--and of the moral dilemmas we face as citizens "For Michael Sandel, justice is not a spectator sport," The Nation's reviewer of Justice remarked. In his acclaimed book—based on his legendary Harvard course—Sandel offers a rare education in thinking through the complicated issues and controversies we face in public life today.

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It has emerged as a most lucid and engaging guide for those who yearn for a more robust and thoughtful public discourse. "In terms we can all understand," wrote Jonathan Rauch in The New York Times, Justice "confronts us with the concepts that lurk . . . beneath our conflicts." Affirmative action, same-sex marriage, physician-assisted suicide, abortion, national service, the moral limits of markets—Sandel relates the big questions of political philosophy to the most vexing issues of the day, and shows how a surer grasp of philosophy can help us make sense of politics, morality, and our own convictions as well. Justice is lively, thought-provoking, and wise—an essential new addition to the small shelf of books that speak convincingly to the hard questions of our civic life.

Justice in Practice

Sandel connects enduring questions of justice to the moral dilemmas shaping public life.

Come here for

  • Political philosophy brought to bear on public controversies
  • A clearer way to examine your own convictions

Expect

  • Accessible thinking about ethics, politics, and law
  • Lively engagement with hard questions, not easy answers

Where it sits

Ethics66%
Political Philosophy66%
Jurisprudence & Legal Theory30%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Ethics
  • Philosophers & Their Ideas
  • Political History & Ideas
Authors
Michael J. Sandel
Publisher
Farrar Straus & Giroux
Published
August 17, 2010
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Justice and political philosophy · Moral dilemmas in public life · Civic discourse and personal convictions
Reading lane
Ethics