A Study Of The Justice On Sandel’s "Justice:What’s The Right Thing To Do?"

In recent years, Justice has always been one of the hot topics in the field of ethics and political philosophy, which has practical and theoretical double reasons. On the one hand, the daily life of the modern people is confronted with the multiple and conflicting moral value so that people in the real life do not know how to follow the principle of justice is increasingly becoming an issue; On the other hand, the theories of justice as response to realistic problems are uncompromising with each other because of different moral foundation, and it is inevitable to get into one-sidedness, which makes justice problem be valued naturally by numerous thinkers. Michael Sander, a famous political philosopher, and professor of Harvard University in America, has been thinking about justice for many years. This paper intends to study its justice idea and try to discuss the inspiration that his ideas give to our construction of a harmonious society in China.Sandel’s justice idea formed that based on questioning the Western utilitarian approach, the liberal approach of justice and understanding of the approach of virtue. On the whole, Sandel criticized the justice of the liberal approach and the justice of the utilitarian approach, expressed approval of the justice of virtue.At the same time, Sandel also put forward his own thinking on the question of the fair principle of utilitarianism, and then, he carried on thorough introspection to the Aill’s retort for utilitarianism critics. Sandel believed that although Mill’s thinking on ensuring personal freedom was good for increasing the whole society’s utility was reasonable, this didn’t provide a very compelling moral basis for individual rights. For the two counter:the counter to personal rights and put all of the things into the rigid calculation about pain and happiness, Sandel believed that Mill only by citing a kind of ideal that left utility itself and about human dignity and personality could he be free from being accused.In addition,Sandel, represented by Rawls, criticized the view of justice of the liberal approach. He believed that Rawls’ s theory of justice was not realistic that based on the assumption conditions. He also opposed Rawls’ s excluded deserving from distributive justice, and insisted that it should have a place in the distribution of justice. Sandel agreeed with Aristotle’s ideas that the existence of political community was to promote the concept of good life, and he also pointed out that the existence of the political community was in order to respect and reward moral deserving. At the same time, he pointed out that no matter utility maximization or the freedom of ensuring choices, both could’t form a just society. The formation of a justice society requires people to have a common sense of the good life, and creates a kind of public culture that can accommodate all kinds of differences.Sandel admitted that he did not fully demonstrate what kind of political discourse can enable people to reasoning the meaning of good life, and create a kind of public culture that accommodate a variety of differences, But he still put forward some ideas about new-style common good politics.Sandel’s justice thought has both value and shortcomings. It has three main values: First, what Sandel put forward about restoring the traditional virtue in the times of Aristotle is very reasonable. This kind of his thought has some guidance value for improving the phenomenon of ignoring the virtue in western society. Second, Sandel’s justice theory takes the daily experience judge of the moral philosophy and political philosophy into our life, which makes people think the moral issues in a more comprehensive way. Third, Sandel comments the justice theory of from Aristotle to Kant to Rawls with simple and easy understanding words, at the same time, he examined the theory of utilitarianism, liberalism, and virtue to make the ethics theory be understand easily. Sandel’s thought also has two shortcomings: First, it is easy to be criticized that he doesn’t build a comprehensive theory of justice. Second, the political about Sandel’s common good put the community’s views above personal rights, which could lead to fascism’s threat.Sandel’s justice thought may bring our country’s construction of harmonious society institutional level and moral construction level inspiration. Sandel’s views about market has limitations, limiting inequality policy and his thinking way on justice, can provide reference for institutional construction of a harmonious society. Sandel advocates the public interest priority and rewards the citizen virtue, which can provide enlightments for the harmonious society’s moral construction.