Moral Reasoning, A Ballet in One Act

Ever find yourself wondering what Professor Michael J. Sandel is up to when he isn't teaching philosophy on TV? Well this past weekend, he was at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, performing a variation from "The Sleeping Beauty" in anticipation of its New York City Ballet opening.

Okay we're totally kidding, but he did share the stage at the Guggenheim with some of ballet’s biggest stars—namely Damian Woetzel, a former principal dancer at the New York City Ballet and recent Kennedy School grad who was nominated by Obama to serve on the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

Sandel, best known around Harvard for teaching Moral Reasoning 22: “Justice,” was also featured with current New York City Ballet principals Tiler Peck, Joaquin de Luz and Robert Fairchild as part of the Guggenheim’s Works and Process outreach series, according to a Wall Street Journal blog post.

At the Guggenheim event, Woetzel led audience members through the opening passage of one of George Balanchine's most famous ballets, "Serenade," and then Sandel spoke of the importance of engaging students in philosophy by using real-world applications. The overall message was that both ballet and philosophy require direct audience engagement.

The evening marked another of Woetzel’s attempts to engage his audience in the arts—last year’s event at Memorial Church, “Witness,” had him showcasing the far-reaching effects of art on humanity alongside Yo-Yo Ma and Toni Morrison in a tribute to human reason, conscience and dignity.