Pen and Paper Revolutionaries: Not Just Your Justice Prof; Sandel Advises as He Theorizes

Standing on stage in Sanders Theater, Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Government Michael J. Sandel has the capacity to perplex, provoke, frustrate and—above all—engage hundreds of undergraduate students. Over the years, his Moral Reasoning 22, “Justice,” has become an institution and made Sandel a larger-than-life figure.

Sandel has the ability to influence more than the theoretical outlooks of malleable students. His status as an expert in the area of sticky moral dilemmas has put him into dialogue with the past two presidencies. During the last decade, Sandel has advised both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush on a range of ethical issues, from morality in politics to questions of bioethics. And while much of Sandel’s career has been defined by his work on contemporary political theory, he sees himself making bioethics a major focus in the future.

“Bioethics raises big questions for political theory because the genetic revolution forces us to reexamine relations between humans and nature,” he says. As a member of Bush's 17-person bioethics counsel, Sandel voted against reproductive cloning, but remains in favor of cloning techniques used for stem cell research. This month, he formulated that line of thinking in an Atlantic Monthly cover story headlined "The Case Against Perfection."

In the conservative Bush administration, which opposes any form of cloning, Sandel is in the minority. But he isn’t afraid to challenge his bosses—he has expressed interest in contesting the idea of “for-profit-schools” and the commercialization of civic spaces over the upcoming years. From the classroom to the capital, Sandel is known for his willingness to speak mindfully and clearly about a wide range of issues. You can tell because everyone is listening.