I’m putting this in a day early…here is the very last Justice Harvard lecture episode. This one is about Same Sex Marriage and the Good Life. It’s been a great three months. I will say that this has been the most educational video series I’ve seen, either through the internet or elsewhere. I don’t know how long they’ll keep these up, so check ‘em out. Way to go, Harvard! Sound off like a WOWO.
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I agree with everything you said. About #1…I think...
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Good last episode. Wow. This is definitely one of the most educational 12 hours I spent on the web.
Montesquieu hit it on the head with his quote:
“A truly virtuous man would come to the aid of the most distant stranger as quickly as to his own friend. If men were perfectly virtuous, they wouldn’t have friends.”
This is much the issue I felt with that fake hate crime thing in Portland this year. Nobody wants to be a rat, and nobody wants to throw people under the bus because of inside information, but it’s also not right to lie. A truly virtuous man WOULD treat everyone equally, but as Sandel says, there’s something not human about that.
Sandel handled the masturbation question well. I probably would’ve let him answer, but he did the right thing by jumping in and guiding Hannah so that she didn’t make it personal. Steve made a good point about marrying oneself.
I liked how that one woman turned it around by referencing Catholic values. This is also related to a lot of bigWOWO’s questions this year. I thought I was a total liberal with no values by freedom and equality, but as the “Talent” post illustrated (to me at least), there is something related to dignity that guides the decisions I make–even if I often fall short. There’s a hierarchy based on values that I hold dear.
In the conclusion, I liked how Sandel talks about engagement, and how it helps to resolve questions. I also felt, and continue to feel, the unease that Sandel discusses. I guess this is a lifelong quest that goes beyond 12 weeks.
Anyway, thank you Harvard for providing this excellent series, and thank you to the people who watched with me. I wish I could’ve been a little more engaging with the discussion. I’m sure the issues will come up again in the future.
I can’t wait to watch this one. As you know I have been realllllllly busy. Can you postpone graduation for a few weeks?
Haha…I think graduation is whenever graduation is. I think it’s just you and me anyway.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Jaehwan. Now that I watched everything, the ending made me feel better. I don’t feel like a complete idiot. I guess I have reading to do the rest of my life. . .
Oh wow! Someone else finished it! I owe you a diploma.
Hey, if you’re interested in “post-graduate” work, check out the latest episode of Medium, called “Dear Dad…”.
Holy @#$%! It is amazing how one’s sense of justice depends on one’s position. Hurry, I think they only keep each episode up for a week or two:
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/medium/video/
J,
I actually picked up Sandel’s book 50% off yesterday. Ozzy Ousborne was beckoning at me hard with his biography, but I ended up with Justice instead.
So far it does not dissappoint. I’m surprised at how hard it is in some examples to separate yourself enough from your emotions to look at things rationally (i.e. the Wall Street bonuses, and most other examples touching on the free market philosophy).
Haha! I looked through Justice at the library, and it looks really good. Ethics and morals truly is a complex field. I think Sandel does a good job of leading the discussion.
Do you remember the hypothetical scenario of the runaway trolley? How did you answer?
I’m on the chapter that discusses Immanuel Kant. Not done yet, but so far I’m not feeling his philosophy.
Notty,
I don’t think I answered that question! See the comments in this post:
http://www.bigwowo.com/2009/10/justice-episode-1/
I talked about heroism, but I don’t think I was able to come up with a mathematical formula to determine which move was right.
Ah, interesting. In the book, Sandel says that most people decide to sacrifice the life of the one worker, but I hated that answer. I don’t feel I have the right to make that judgement, so I’d probably let fortune take its course. It’s really not for me to decide who dies and who lives.