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The Moral Side of Murder / The Case for Cannibalism

heather_kapplow — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:15:20 +0000

Lecture One: "The Moral Side of Murder"
If you had to choose between killing one person or five, what would you do? What's the right thing to do? Professor Michael Sandel launches into his lecture series by presenting students with a hypothetical scenario that has the majority of students voting for killing one person in order to save the lives of five others. But then Sandel presents three similar moral conundrums -- each one artfully designed to make the decision increasingly complex. As students stand up to defend their conflicting choices, Sandel's point is made. The assumptions behind our moral reasoning are often contradictory, and the question of what is right and what is wrong is not always black and white.

Lecture Two: "The Case for Cannibalism"
Sandel introduces the principles of Utilitarian philosopher, Jeremy Bentham, with a famous 19th century law case involving a shipwrecked crew of four. After 19 days lost at sea, the captain decides to kill the cabin boy, the weakest amongst them, so they can feed on his blood and body to survive. The case leads to a debate among students about the moral validity of the Utilitarian theory of maximizing overall happiness -- often summed up with the slogan "the greatest good for the greatest number".

September 13, 2009

Michael Sandel

Putting a Price Tag on Life / How to Measure Pleasure

heather_kapplow — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:53:21 +0000

Lecture Three: "Putting a Price Tag on Life"
Jeremy Bentham's late 18th century Utilitarian theory -- summed up as "the greatest good for the greatest number" -- is often used today under the name of "cost-benefit analysis." Sandel presents some contemporary examples where corporations used this theory -- which required assigning a dollar value on human lives -- to make important business decisions. This leads to a discussion about the objections to Utilitarianism: is it fair to give more weight to the values of a majority, even when the values of the majority may be ignoble or inhumane?

Lecture Four: "How to Measure Pleasure"
Sandel introduces J.S. Mill, another Utilitarian philosopher, who argues that all human experience can be quantifiable, and that some kinds of pleasures are more desirable and more valuable than others. Mill argues that if society values the higher pleasures, and values justice, then society as a whole will be better off in the long run. Sandel tests this theory by showing the class three video clips -- from The Simpsons, the reality show Fear Factor and Shakespeare's Hamlet -- then asks students to debate which of the three experiences qualifies as the "highest" pleasure.

September 20, 2009

Michael Sandel

Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness

Forum Network — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:26:21 +0000

Tal Ben-Shahar discusses current research on the science of happiness and introduces ideas and tools that can actually make a difference in one's life.

October 4, 2006

Tal Ben-Shahar

This Land is My Land / Consenting Adults

jeremy_tipton — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:45:42 +0000

Lecture Seven: "This Land is My Land"
John Locke is both a supporter and detractor from the theory of Libertarianism. Locke argues that in the "state of nature," before any political structure has been established, every human has certain natural rights to life, liberty -- and property. However, once we agree to enter into society, we are consenting to being governed by a system of laws. And so, Locke argues, even though government is charged with looking after one's individual rights, it is the majority that defines those rights.

Lecture Eight: "Consenting Adults"
John Locke on the issue of taxation and consent. How does John Locke square away the conflict between 1) his belief that individuals have an unalienable right to life, liberty, and property and 2) that government -- through majority rule -- can tax individuals without their consent? Doesn't that amount to taking an individual's property without his/her consent? Locke's answer to that is that we are giving our "implied consent" to taxation laws, by living in society, therefore taxation is legitimate. And, as long as government doesn't target a particular group for taxation -- if it isn't arbitrary -- then taxation isn't a violation of the fundamental rights of individuals.

October 4, 2009

Michael Sandel

Mind Your Motive / The Supreme Principle of Morality

jeremy_tipton — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:45:48 +0000

Lecture Eleven: "Mind Your Motive"
Professor Sandel introduces Immanuel Kant -- one of the most challenging and difficult thinkers in his course. Kant believes we, as individuals, are sacred and the bearer of rights, but not because we own ourselves. Rather, it is our capacity to reason and choose freely that makes us unique, that sets us apart from mere animals. And when we act out of duty (doing something because it is right) only then do our actions have moral worth. Sandel uses the example of a shopkeeper who passes up the chance to shortchange a customer only because he worries it would hurt his business. That wouldn't be considered a moral action, according to Kant, because he wasn't doing the right thing ... for the right reason.

Lecture Twelve: "The Supreme Principle of Morality"
Immanuel Kant says that in so far as our actions have moral worth, what confers moral worth is precisely our capacity to rise above self-interest and inclination and to act out of duty. Sandel tells the true story of a 13-year-old boy who won a spelling bee contest, but then admitted to the judges that he had, in fact, misspelled the final word. Using this story and others, Sandel explains Kant's test for determining whether an action is morally right: when making a decision, imagine if the moral principle behind your actions became a universal law that everyone had to live by. Would that principle, as a universal law, benefit everyone?

October 18, 2009

Michael Sandel

Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle

word1415 — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:16:13 +0000

In Empire of Illusion, Chris Hedges argues that we now live in two societies: one, the minority, functions in a print-based, literate world, that can cope with complexity and can separate illusion from truth. The other, a growing majority, is retreating from a reality-based world into one of false certainty and magic. In this "other society," serious film and theatre, as well as newspapers and books, are being pushed to the margins.

In the tradition of Christopher Lasch's The Culture of Narcissism and Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death, Hedges navigates this culture--attending WWF contests as well as Ivy League graduation ceremonies--exposing an age of terrifying decline and heightened self-delusion.

March 3, 2010

Christopher Hedges

Hired Guns? / For Sale: Motherhood

jeremy_tipton — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:53:27 +0000

Lecture Nine: "Hired Guns?"
During the Civil War, men were conscripted to fight in the war -- but draftees were allowed to pay hired substitutes to fight in their place. Professor Sandel asks students -- was this policy an example of free-market exchange? Or was it a form of coercion, because the lower class surely had more of a financial incentive to serve? This leads to a classroom debate about the contemporary questions surrounding war and conscription. Is today's voluntary army really voluntary, given that many recruits come from a disproportionately lower economic background? What role does patriotism play? And what are the obligations of citizenship? Is there a civic duty to serve one's country?

Lecture Ten: "For Sale: Motherhood"
Professor Sandel applies the issue of free-market exchange to a contemporary and controversial new area: reproductive rights. Sandel describes bizarre presents examples of the modern-day "business" of sperm and egg donation. Sandel then takes the debate a step further, using the famous legal case of "Baby M", which raised the question of "who owns a baby"? Mary Beth Whitehead signed a contract with a New Jersey couple in the mid-eighties, agreeing to be their surrogate mother, in exchange for a large fee. But 24 hours after giving birth, Whitehead decided she wanted to keep the child and the case went to court. Students discuss the morality of selling human life, the legal issues surrounding consent and contracts, and the power of maternal rights.

October 11, 2009

Michael Sandel

Free to Choose / Who Owns Me?

heather_kapplow — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:45:22 +0000

Lecture Five: "Free to Choose"
Libertarians believe the ideal state is a society with minimal governmental interference. Sandel introduces Robert Nozick, a libertarian philosopher, who argues that individuals have the fundamental right to choose how they want to live their own lives. Government shouldn't have the power to enact laws that protect people from themselves (seat belt laws), to enact laws that force a moral value on society, or enact laws that redistribute income from the rich to the poor. Sandel uses the examples of Bill Gates and Michael Jordan to explain Nozick's theory that redistributive taxation is a form of forced labor.

Lecture Six: "Who Owns Me?"
Libertarian philosopher Robert Nozick makes the case that taxing the wealthy -- to pay for housing, health care, and education for the poor -- is a form of coercion. Students first discuss the arguments in favor of redistributive taxation. If you live in a society that has a system of progressive taxation, aren't you obligated to pay your taxes? Don't the poor need and deserve the social services they receive? And isn't wealth often achieved through sheer luck or family fortune? In this lecture, a group of students ("Team Libertarianism") are asked to defend the objections against Libertarianism.

September 27, 2009

Michael Sandel

Debating Same-Sex Marriage / The Good Life

jeremy_tipton — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:15:35 +0000

Lecture Twenty-Two: "Debating Same-Sex Marriage"
If principles of justice depend on the moral or intrinsic worth of the ends that rights serve, how does society deal with the fact that people hold different ideas and conceptions of what is good? Using the example of same-sex marriage, students debate whether it is possible to detach moral permissibility of sexuality from the end or purpose of marriage.

Lecture Twenty-Three: "The Good Life"
Professor Sandel raises two questions. Is it necessary to reason about the good life in order to decide what is just and what rights people have? And if that's the case, is it possible to argue or to reason about the nature of the good life? Students debate these questions with a further discussion about government's role in deciding the purpose of marriage. Michael Sandel concludes his lecture series by making the point that we, as individuals, may never agree on many moral philosophical issues. However, he argues, on the one hand the debate about these issues is unavoidable. And on the other hand, it is a worthwhile opportunity for all of us to better appreciate the values of others.

November 29, 2009

Michael Sandel

Peace and Tolerance: The Dalai Lama on Education

Forum Network — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:28:15 +0000

The Dalai Lama discusses living a life of peace and tolerance and the limits of education at Smith College.

May 9, 2007

Tenzin Gyatso

Carol Christ

The Claims of Community / Where Our Loyalty Lies

jeremy_tipton — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:15:31 +0000

Lecture Twenty-One: “The Claims of Community”
Professor Sandel presents Immanuel Kant’s and John Rawl’s objections to Aristotle who believe that individuals should be free and capable of choosing his or her ends. This leads to an introduction to the communitarian view. As individuals, how do we weigh our obligations to family against our obligations to community and to our country?

Lecture Twenty-Two: “Where Our Loyalty Lies”
Professor Sandel leads a discussion about the arguments for and against our obligations of solidarity and membership in the smaller community of family and the larger community of the society at large. Using various scenarios, students debate whether and when loyalty outweighs duty.

November 22, 2009

Michael Sandel

Chang-rae Lee: The Surrendered

word1415 — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:45:51 +0000

Award-winning novelist Chang-rae Lee reads from his newest work, The Surrendered.

March 10, 2010

Chang-Rae Lee