By Michael Sandel | Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do? Lecture 4 of 12
Part 1 - This Land is My Land: The philosopher John Locke believes that individuals have certain rights—to life, liberty, and property—which were given to us as human beings in the “the state of nature,” a time before government and laws were created. According to Locke, our natural rights are governed by the law of nature, known by reason, which says that we can neither give them up nor take them away from anyone else.
Part 2 - Consenting Adults: If we all have unalienable rights to life, liberty, and property, how can a government enforce tax laws passed by the representatives of a mere majority? Doesn’t that amount to taking some people’s property without their consent? Locke’s response is that we give our “tacit consent” to obey the tax laws passed by a majority when we choose to live in a society.
Justice is one of the most popular courses in Harvard’s history, having taught more than 14,000 students over the course of two decades.
In this course, Sandel challenges us with difficult moral dilemmas and asks our opinion about the right thing to do. He then asks us to examine our answers in the light of new scenarios. The results are often surprising, revealing that important moral questions are never black and white.
This course also addresses the hot topics of our day—affirmative action, same-sex marriage, patriotism and rights—and Sandel shows us that we can revisit familiar controversies with a fresh perspective.
Each lecture in this course has two parts as well as related readings and discussion guides.
Discussion Guide, Advanced | Discussion Guide, Beginner | Reading - John Locke, Second Treatise of Government (1690)
