Michael Sandel: Elitist in Democrat’s Clothing

Michael Sandel was a Harvard professor who founded the online course “The Harvard Government Professor”. “Justice” has reportedly been viewed by tens of millions worldwide, published Democracy’s Discontent: America in Search of a Public Philosophy, to widespread acclaim. Sandel’s theme was the “anxiety and frustration” Despite our success in the Cold War victory, American politics was plagued. “unprecedented affluence,” And “greater social justice for women and minorities.” Sandel attributed that anxiety to Americans’ fear that they were “losing control” They are able to give up their lives to outside forces and still live with the “unraveling” The “moral fabric of community” At the level of family, neighbourhood, and nation.

Sandel lamented about the failure of “prevailing political agenda” These concerns were addressed. He maintained that the failure was due to the dominance of “neutralist” liberalism (shared by self-described liberals and conservatives alike), which identified government’s goal as securing citizens’ freedom “to choose our ends” Or “values” without interference or restraint, beyond what was required to preserve others’ right to do likewise. This understanding of freedom, expressed in the right to the “pursuit of happiness” Guaranteed in the Declaration of Independence) “republican” Concept of liberty as it entails “sharing in self-government” or political liberty. This view is compatible with “liberal freedom,” It is necessary that the government inculcate certain values in citizens. “civic virtues,” Instead of remaining neutral towards their ends or ways, be proactive.

In the revised edition of Democracy’s Discontent, whose subtitle refers to the “Perilous Times” The following changes are made by Sandel to the American way of life. The first is that he deletes the entire first half of the first edition. It dealt with the American Constitution tradition and its evolution towards moral neutralism. He now concentrates on the history and economic debates in an attempt to highlight the causes of the current crisis. The second part of the book is a short introduction and a preface. “democracy’s peril,” Along with a new chapter “The Political Economy of Citizenship,” Sandel adds a lengthy epilogue titled “What Went Wrong: Capitalism and Democracy Since the 1990s.”

Sandel simply reprints the last five chapters, plus the conclusion from the previous version in the space between the new chapter (and the epilogue) without changing a single word. This lack of change is evident in his repeated citations of Mark Green’s 1972 book on the “narrow extent” of stock ownership.