Michael Sandel Lecture

I must admit that when I first heard that the famous philosopher, Professor Michael Sandel was lecturing at The Inaugural Andrew Carnegie Lecture, I was more than a little excited. During my A Levels, I had discovered Sandel’s series of Harvard lectures entitled, Justice and was amazed by his delivery and composure. He has a unique ability to involve audiences in the debates, addressing some of the most complex ethical issues. He is an inspirational figure, so to attend one of his lectures was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

I was afraid however, as many people find, that the man in real life would not meet my high expectations; I was wrong. The popularity of the lecture was confirmed within five minutes, as The Buchanan Lecture Theatre reached full capacity. Those that were unable to see the live performance were directed to the two spill-over rooms in St Salvator’s Quad. With a complementary introduction from Principal, Louise Richardson, Sandel took to the stage, taking no time in settling into the central ideas of his lecture, “What Money Can’t Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets”.

Taking inspiration from his new book and Andrew Carnegie, the Scottish Entrepreneur, Sandel explored the ways in which money has become dangerously close to dominating society. He raised questions on the extent to which money should influence our decisions on immigration, education, charity and politics. After giving multiple examples, Sandel concluded that, as a society, we need to focus less on monetary solutions and attempt to resolve ethical problems as a democracy. Although not everyone would agree with Professor Sandel, everyone got a chance to voice their thoughts, both inside the lecture theatre and on social media.

In the lecture, the audience was encouraged to discuss their own opinions with one another. This allowed the audience to understand the difficulties concerning regulation of money and markets. Despite Professor Sandel’s own comments being insightful, for myself, it was the audience’s point of view that made the lecture truly exceptional.

I now understand why the Guardian wrote that the Harvard professor is “currently the most effective communicator of ideas in English.” Sandel’s ease and conciseness meant that he was able to give an in depth lecture in just an hour. Moving from the monetary value of citizenship to economic motivations for education was no easy task, but one that Sandel handled brilliantly. I can’t help but agree with Louise Richardson in her comment that the next guest speaker for the Andrew Carnegie Lecture will have a lot to live up to.

If you missed the lecture but want to learn more, search for the #StASandel trend on Twitter or check out the university website.