- Course: Harvard Justice (YouTube)
- Instructor: Michael Sandel
- Institution: Harvard University
- Episodes: 12 lectures
Overview
One of the most popular courses in Harvard’s history. Michael Sandel walks through major moral and political philosophy frameworks using vivid thought experiments and Socratic dialogue with students. The course asks: What’s the right thing to do?
Major Ethical Frameworks Covered
Consequentialism / Utilitarianism
- Core idea: The right action maximizes overall happiness/welfare
- Key thinkers: Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill
- Thought experiment: The trolley problem — is it right to divert a trolley to kill 1 person to save 5?
Libertarianism
- Core idea: Individual rights and free choice are paramount
- Key thinkers: John Locke, Robert Nozick
- Question: Do we own ourselves? What limits should there be on markets?
Kantian Ethics (Deontology)
- Core idea: Act according to universal moral laws, treat people as ends not means
- Key thinker: Immanuel Kant
- Categorical Imperative: Act only according to rules you could will to be universal laws
Virtue Ethics
- Core idea: Morality is about cultivating virtuous character, not following rules
- Key thinker: Aristotle
- Question: What does it mean to live a good life?
Rawlsian Justice
- Core idea: Design society from behind a “veil of ignorance”
- Key thinker: John Rawls
- Question: What principles would you choose if you didn’t know your place in society?
Communitarianism
- Core idea: Community and shared values matter for justice
- Key thinker: Michael Sandel himself
- Question: Can we be neutral about the good life?
Key Thought Experiments
- Trolley Problem — Divert to save 5, killing 1?
- The Surgeon — Kill 1 healthy patient to harvest organs for 5?
- Lifeboat Cannibalism — Real case of shipwrecked sailors eating cabin boy
- Price Gouging — Is it wrong to raise prices after a disaster?
- Military Service — Should there be a draft or an all-volunteer army?
- Affirmative Action — Is it fair? What are we distributing?
Why It’s Valuable
- Makes abstract philosophy concrete and engaging
- Shows how our intuitions can conflict with theories
- Reveals that most moral debates are actually about competing frameworks
- Teaches how to reason about ethics, not just what to believe
Episode Outline
- The Moral Side of Murder / The Case for Cannibalism
- Putting a Price Tag on Life / How to Measure Pleasure
- Free to Choose / Who Owns Me?
- This Land is My Land / Consenting Adults
- Hired Guns / Motherhood for Sale
- Mind Your Motive / The Supreme Principle of Morality
- A Lesson in Lying / A Deal is a Deal
- What’s a Fair Start? / What Do We Deserve?
- Arguing Affirmative Action / What’s the Purpose?
- The Good Citizen / Freedom vs. Fit
- The Claims of Community / Where Our Loyalty Lies
- Debating Same-Sex Marriage / The Good Life
My Thoughts
(Add personal reflections here)