The video starts off with Sandel talking about justice in terms of what is good through the example of segregationists (Harvard University, 2009). He accomplishes this by discussing the concept of the self and whether or not we should define ourselves by our own personal beliefs or by our need to conform to society (Harvard University, 2009). Sandel then utilizes the argument that we feel obligated to conform to society to defend that we cannot detach ourselves from “questions about the good” especially when we talk about justice (Harvard University, 2009). He suggests we do this by taking away prejudice and viewing the person as a person who is not confined by the labels of society (Harvard University, 2009). After finishing his lecture, Sandel would then open up to the students to ascertain their thoughts about the topic of same-sex marriage and whether or not it should be legalized (Harvard University, 2009).
Personally I liked this lecture for the fact that not only did Sandel give his thoughts but that he opened it up to his class in a way that allowed for the viewer to see both sides of the argument in terms of same-sex marriage. I also enjoyed how he had his students interacting with each other as if they were in an actual debate which, in a way, they kind of were. One thing I found particularly interesting was that Sandel allowed them to talk about masturbation (Harvard University, 2009) which you normally do not get to do in a class room setting. Normally making a point about such a subject would have led to the end of the discussion for the whole class would have been in an uproar but Sandel handled it extremely well as he got them to quiet down and stay on track (Harvard University, 2009). Overall it was a well-rounded lecture that lets one see all sides of a familiar and heated debate which then makes one think about where he would stand if he was called upon.
Work Cited
H. (2009, September 09). Justice: What's The Right Thing To Do? Episode 12: "DEBATING SAME-SEX MARRIAGE" Retrieved June 28, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzD9P-9sj4M
