Sandel Procedural Republic

In The Procedural Republic and the Unencumbered Self, Michael Sandel attempts to examine how political philosophy is contained in the practices and institutions of contemporary America. Sandel begins with the liberal vision of the right and the good, which gives “ride of place to justice, fairness, and individual rights” (p. 13, ¶1). Sandel explains that the liberal vision’s main thesis is “a just society seeks not to promote any particular ends, but enables its citizens to pursue their own ends, consistent with a similar liberty for all” (p. 13, ¶1), in such a way that the principles do not assume specific notion of the good. Sandel sums his assertion that John Rawls’ right is prior to the good in two senses: first, is individual rights cannot be sacrificed for good. Second, the rights specified by the principles of justice “cannot be premised on any particular vision of the good life” (p. 13, ¶3).

Sandel attributes this liberalism and political philosophy to Rawls based on Kantian foundations. Sandel begins critiquing Rawls with three concerns. First is the powerful appeal that philosophical liberal neutralism has. Second is that ultimately the right over the good will fail. Lastly, despite the failure, this is how we still live (p. 14, ¶1). The priority of the right is not emphasized by liberal ethics, with no assumption on any specific “conviction of the good” through the principles of justice. Sandel points out this is what Rawls meant when he wrote “justice is the first virtue of social institutions” (p. 15, ¶1), nevertheless, justice is more than the first virtue or a value.

Theories of justices have based the foundations on the purposes and ends of humans. Sandel credits J.S. Mill when Mill stated “justice the chief pa...

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... thoroughly individuals are connected with their ends. Alternatively, Rawls asks, what exactly must we do when individuals have unique conceptions of the good? In what way should the advantages of social collaboration be dispersed? Rawls believes that a reasonable method should be to consider what principles we should choose in the event we did not actually recognize our conception of the good. Nevertheless, the concern has very little to do with precisely how difficult or simple it will be for individuals in their real lives to detach ourselves from their activities. To replace the procedural republic in an ideal world, there would be a balance between conservatism and liberalism. However, the American political system works, by protecting individual rights and encouraging a civil society.

Works Cited

Michael Sandel, Procedural Republic and the Unencumbered Self