Sandel
Discipline:
Philosophy
Type of service:
Essay
Spacing:
Single spacing
Paper format:
Chicago / Turabian
Number of pages:
1 page
Number of sources:
2 sources
Paper DETAILS:
Please read the introduction “”Introduction: Markets and Morals” (pp. 6-29 in the pdf document) + the last chapter “The Skyboxification of Everyday Life (pp. 376-80 in the pdf document) + one chapter of your choice to answer the questions below.
Sandel explains that over the last few decades a market and consumer logic has come to penetrate every area of contemporary social and political life; accordingly, what is the meaning of the distinction he makes between a ‘market economy’ versus a ‘market society’? Why does Sandel think that by making markets the ultimate arbiter of values in society, our capacity for a genuine public attitude and decision-making is corrupted? Use examples from the specific chapter you read to underline why he takes a purely private consumer attitude to social and political decision-making to be destructive of public life. Do you agree with Sandel that there are things money should not be able to buy? Would you agree that our societies, by making money the measure of all things, are increasingly corrupted? If so, what areas of life do you think should be decided upon primarily through public discourse rather than private consumption? If you disagree with Sandel, how would you counter his arguments? Can the market bring us to the public good by itself, or can it do its job in a socially beneficial manner only within a public understanding of the good, defined without it?
