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Michael Sandel Video Summary and Analysis

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Michael Sandel Video Summary and Analysis
Michael Sandel Video

Summary and Analysis

Deirdre Martinez

800047839

Laird Smith

CRN 12555

Introduction

Michael Sandel has done it again, this time, in his auditorium setting at Harvard University. He invites the public into his undergraduate lecture through the recordings provided online at JusticeHarvard.org. In this work, episode 1 The Moral Side to Murder and episode 2 Putting a Price Tag on Life will be summarized and analyzed as it is also put to use in a local situation. Both of these lectures evolve around one theory: the theory of Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is basically described as the greatest good for the greatest number. Both episodes are broken into two parts. Episode 1 is broken into part one: the moral side of murder. He dives into the possibility of having to choose whether five workers should die by hitting them with a trolley car, whose brakes do not work, or steering and choosing to hit and kill one worker on the sidetrack. The second part is titled The Case for Cannibalism. In this part, Sandel explores the outcome of the trial case of the Queen vs Dudley and Stephens. Dudley and Stephens were charged with murder after killing their cabin boy, Richard Parker, and then eating his body to survive. Episode 2, also broken down into 2 parts, is appropriately titled “Putting a Price Tag on Life”. Part one, Putting a price tag on life, takes Jeremy Bentham’s theory of Utilitarianism and applies it to cost-benefit analysis. Part two is titled “How to Measure Pleasure”. In this section he introduces JS Mill, a utilitarian philosopher who attempts to defend utilitarianism against the objections raised by critics of the doctrine.

Episode 1:The Moral Side to Murder

In episode one, Sandel presents a hypothetical case of a trolley car whose brake system is not working. You are the driver and see that there are five workers on the track that are in the path


References: BNSF Railway, (2010), Update on border crossing improvements at El Paso/Juarez, available from http://www.hcmpo.org/conference/files/Presentations2010/ Nate%20Asplundh%20 Border%20 Crossing%20Improvements.pdf Staff (2001) Morris study blasted , available from http://edition.cnn.com/2001/BUSINESS/07/16/czech.morris/index.html WGBH Boston and Harvard University. (Producer) (2009), Putting a price tag on human life, available from http://www.justiceharvard.org WGBH Boston and Harvard University. (Producer) (2009), The moral side of murder , available from http://www.justiceharvard.org | | | | ----------------------- Direct income is generated by collecting value-added tax, excise tax and customs duties on tobacco products and corporate income tax collected from tobacco businesses. Indirect positive effects include savings in public health-care costs and state pensions due to early mortality of smokers, and savings on public costs related to the support of the elderly.
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