308 pages
English language
Published Dec. 13, 2009 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
I’m not that well-read in philosophy, so I found this a helpful overview of different philosophical takes on a just society, whether or not you agree with the author’s views. I feel more prepared to now read the primary sources he covers because of the context and framework he’s provided.
A carefully written description of justice from a number of sides. Challenges the underlying ideas behind many political conflicts today, that we often don't understand or realize we participate in! I'd recommend everyone to read this piece to understand what the motivations of their own politics are.
Reading alongside the popular Harvard course taught by the author (Here's the link if anyone wants to check it out - www.edx.org/course/justice-2), this was an extraordinary experience. Maybe my thoughts about this book got clouded by the thought-provoking lectures that accompany them, but that in no way takes away the credit of this book being an excellent introduction to political and moral philosophy.
Normally, I dislike the case-based approach of tackling a subject (I'm looking at you, Cal Newport), but it was the most suitable method of discussing disparate notions of moral philosophy. Prof. Sandel expertly intertwines the hard and difficult questions of the day - be it affirmative action, same-sex marriages or debates about rights - with the theories of political philosophers who attempt to answer them. I particularly loved this notion, which is present in all the debates throughout the course, that there's no such one perfect …
Reading alongside the popular Harvard course taught by the author (Here's the link if anyone wants to check it out - www.edx.org/course/justice-2), this was an extraordinary experience. Maybe my thoughts about this book got clouded by the thought-provoking lectures that accompany them, but that in no way takes away the credit of this book being an excellent introduction to political and moral philosophy.
Normally, I dislike the case-based approach of tackling a subject (I'm looking at you, Cal Newport), but it was the most suitable method of discussing disparate notions of moral philosophy. Prof. Sandel expertly intertwines the hard and difficult questions of the day - be it affirmative action, same-sex marriages or debates about rights - with the theories of political philosophers who attempt to answer them. I particularly loved this notion, which is present in all the debates throughout the course, that there's no such one perfect answer for these problems. You can't just say that one side is completely wrong and other is completely right. There's no black and white. Each side has merits and demerits and the real struggle exists in how to combine them together for an appropriate solution.
Apart from reading this book, I would highly recommend taking the course as well. You won't get solutions to all the mentioned problems, but you would come out with a greater understanding of problems themselves and how to tackle them.
