Michael J. Sandel (Minnesota, USA, 5th March 1953) graduated from Brandeis University (USA) and, after winning a Rhodes Scholarship, received his doctorate from Balliol College, Oxford (UK) in 1981. A year before obtaining his PhD, Sandel began teaching Political Philosophy at Harvard, where he is currently the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Government.

A leading advocate of communitarian theory, a current that emerged in the late 20th century contrary to individualistic and liberal stances, Sandel has managed to extend thinking on this subject to a global audience, posing ethical questions in open, public debates in which he fosters dialogue among the audience. His line of philosophical thinking consists in advocating justice that serves the common good, in which governments can intervene to avoid the excesses of the market economy and social inequalities.

Sandel is also a popular professor, “perhaps the most prominent university professor from the USA”, according to The Washington Post. His classes at Harvard, as well as his talks, are based on the Socratic method of instruction.

Their aim is for young people to use reasoning to a greater extent and to avoid behaviour related solely to economic profit and personal interests.

His classes at Harvard, as well as his talks, are based on the Socratic method of instruction. Their aim is for young people to use reasoning to a greater extent and to avoid behaviour related solely to economic profit and personal interests. He lectures in the Saunders Theatre at Harvard, whose 1,117 seats have to be raffled at the beginning of the year given the demand for the subject taught by Sandel. According to figures provided by the University, more than 15,000 students have attended his lectures on Justice since the early eighties. It is the first Harvard course to be freely accessible via the Internet and TV, and, according to the University, has been viewed by tens of thousands of people worldwide.

Michael J. Sandel holds honorary degrees from both Utrecht University (Netherlands) and Brandeis University and is member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Sandel’s teaching career was recognized in 2008 by the American Political Science Association. In 2010, the China Newsweek magazine named him the most influential foreign figure of the year in that country.