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Michael Sandel

American political philosopher · United States · Academics · Born 1953 · age 73

Michael Sandel is read about 403 times a day, in 31 languages.

A typical day, 30 days to 16 September 2026

The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 361 days, one point a day.

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Michael Joseph Sandel is an American political philosopher. He is the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Government at Harvard University, where his course Justice was the university's first course to be made freely available online and on television.

A life in dates

2020“Meritocratic hubris reflects the tendency of winners to inhale too deeply of their success, to forget the luck and good fortune that helped them on their way.”In their wordsChap. 1. Winners and Losers

“Americans’ strong attachment to individual initiative, together with their willingness to accept inequality, leads them to exaggerate the possibility of rising through hard work.”In their wordsChap. 3. The Rhetoric of Rising

“Despite their differences, both Hayek and Rawls reject the idea that economic rewards should reflect what people deserve.”In their wordsChap. 5. Success Ethics

“For the last several decades, the language of merit has dominated public discourse, with little recognition of the downside.”In their wordsChap. 5. Success Ethics

“The meritocratic conviction that people deserve whatever riches the market bestows on their talents makes solidarity an almost impossible project.”In their wordsConclusion: Merit and the Common Good

2018Princess of Asturias Award for Social SciencesAward2005“The Second World War supplied the occasion for the spending, and Keynesian economics supplied the rationale.”In their wordsChap. 1. America's Search for a Public Philosophy

1975Rhodes ScholarshipAward1953Born5 March 1953

Also in Deutsch

Photos 1

In their own words 10

,
Michael Sandel
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10 statements, newest first

  1. Meritocratic hubris reflects the tendency of winners to inhale too deeply of their success, to forget the luck and good fortune that helped them on their way.

    2020, Chap. 1. Winners and Losers, Own words

  2. Many liberals and progressives, especially those with egalitarian commitments, resist the claim that the rich are rich because they are more deserving than the poor.

    2020, Chap. 2. “Great Because Good”: A Brief Moral History of Merit, Own words

  3. Americans’ strong attachment to individual initiative, together with their willingness to accept inequality, leads them to exaggerate the possibility of rising through hard work.

    2020, Chap. 3. The Rhetoric of Rising, Own words

Wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0

Awards

Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences2018
Rhodes Scholarship1975
FP Top 100 Global Thinkers
Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

In their orbit

Spouse: Kiku Adatto

About this person

Michael Joseph Sandel is an American political philosopher. He is the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Government at Harvard University, where his course Justice was the university's first course to be made freely available online and on television. It has been viewed by tens of millions of people around the world, including in China, where Sandel was named the 2011 "most influential foreign figure of the year".

Country
United States
Category
Academics
Type
Academic
Status
living
Dates
Born 1953 · age 73

In common with Michael

Alexei NavalnyBoth received FP Top 100 Global Thinkers

Academics from the United States 5

Peter Diamond56.1Raymond Smullyan56.0Nelson Goodman56.1Bobby Seale56.0Michael Rosbash56.1

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