Michael Sandel Quotes on Knowledge
Michael Sandel is an American political philosopher, professor at Harvard University, and one of the most widely read public philosophers of our time. This page collects quotes attributed to Michael Sandel on the topic of knowledge, drawn from across the philosopher's works.
Quotes
-
“Michael J. Sandel, "The Procedural Republic and the Unencumbered Self" (1984)”
Political philosophy seems often to reside at a distance from the world. Principles are one thing, politics another, and even our best efforts to ‘live up’ to our ideals typically founder on the gap between theory and practice. But if political philosophy is unrealizable in one sense, it is unavoidable in another. This is the sense in which philosophy inhabits the world from the start; our practic -
“Michael J. Sandel, "The Procedural Republic and the Unencumbered Self" (1984)”
This liberalism says, in other words, that what makes the just society just is not the telos or purpose or end at which it aims, but precisely its refusal to choose in advance among competing purposes and ends. In its constitution and its laws, the just society seeks to provide a framework within which its citizens can pursue their own values and ends, consistent with a similar liberty for others -
“Michael J. Sandel, "The Procedural Republic and the Unencumbered Self" (1984)”
Unlike the liberty of the early republic, the modern version permits — in fact even requires — concentrated power. -
“Chap. 1. The Public Philosophy of Contemporary Liberalism”
A public philosophy is an elusive thing, for it is constantly before our eyes. It forms the often unreflective background to our political discourse and pursuits. In ordinary times, the public philosophy can easily escape the notice of those who live by it. But anxious times compel a certain clarity. They force first principles to the surface and offer an occasion for critical reflection.