"A politics of moral engagement is not only a more inspiring ideal than a politics of avoidance. It is also a more promising basis for a just society."
Liberal neutrality has left the public square empty. It's time to fill it with moral argument.
The "Neutral" State
We often assume the government should be neutral on moral and religious questions to protect freedom. But Sandel argues this is impossible. Debates about abortion, stem cells, or same-sex marriage are fundamentally about the moral status of human life and the purpose of marriage. We cannot resolve them without engaging in moral reasoning.
When we decide to buy and sell things (like kidneys, votes, or apologies), we aren't just increasing efficiency. We are degrading the moral value of the goods in question. Politics must be about deciding what values we want to protect from market corruption.
Inequality is corrosive not just because it's unfair, but because it separates us. The rich and poor live different lives, attend different schools, and inhabit different spaces. A politics of the common good requires shared public spaces where citizens from different walks of life encounter one another.
"Justice is inescapably judgmental. Whether we are arguing about bailouts or Purple Hearts, surrogate motherhood or same-sex marriage, questions of justice are bound up with competing notions of honor and virtue, pride and recognition."