You know (or at least you strongly suspect), that your sibling is a notorious murderer on the run, and consequently the focus of a massive man hunt by the cops. You also happen to know the whereabouts of the elusive fugitive and you harbor this eerie suspicion that his victim count has definitely not ended. Under such a circumstance with whom will your loyalties lie? With your own flesh and blood or with the civic society of which both of you are a vital part. If you are Senator William Bulger, the former President of The Massachusetts State Senate,Massachusetts University and the brother of the still ‘at large’ criminal Whitey Bulger, you will argue that familial solidarity triumphs over civic responsibility. However if you happen to possess the bent of mind characterizing David Kaczynski, the brother of the infamous “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynsy, societal responsibility will over ride familial ties.
But between William and David, who made the just and equitable, or rather moral decision? The most engaging political philosopher living and expounding today in our midst, Michael Sandler proposes to tackle precisely such issues of conflict. In this refreshingly riveting read, Professor Sandler exhorts us to evaluate and re-evaluate our moral priorities and pre-conceived notions regarding the salient aspects of justice. Drawing on the theories of Jeremy Bentham (utilitarianism) Immanuel Kant (Categorical imperatives), John Rawls (from behind a veil of ignorance) and Aristotle (Politics and the Good Life), Professor Sandler reigns supreme in his assertions and assumptions. Abhorring paternalistic and condescending language, Michael Sandler succeeds in bringing home the most indispensable and rudimentary tenets of Political Philosophy, to grasp which, one need not even be a student of the subject.
Justice – Choose to ignore at your own peril!
