Michael Sandel's 'The Politics Of Public Identity'

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Work Together Cheyanne Yendrey POSI 3334.251 March 12, 2017 Michael Sandel wrote “The Politics of Public Identity” critiquing John Rawls and Robert Nozick’s idea of liberalism while advocating communitarianism in his response. Sandel describes communitarianism as an efficient process where individuals will be able to function better and can achieve reasoning if they were properly unified into communities. This goes against Rawls and Nozick’s idea of liberalism, where the individuals act on their own and rule themselves. Rawls and Nozick both admire liberalism, but disagree about what constitutes liberalism. Robert Nozick focused more on a realistic concept where he acknowledges the unlikelihood of living a life where an individual …show more content…

Sandel is a huge advocate for the government to restore integrity in the communities. He also expresses that in communitarianism, the government provides an education process that will educate the citizens to be vigilante. Robert Nozick believes liberalism should only exist to protect the individual rights. The government’s role is very limited, and can be seen as unjust if intervened with any further issues. Communitarianism lets the government exist further to help the communities restore all …show more content…

Both Nozick and John Rawls admires how the system promotes individuality and pluralism. The government also is limited to the merely protection of individual rights. However, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages, granting communitarianism to be the best system out of the two. Michael Sandel’s communitarianism is a practical system where communities rule together. Individual rights would be more significant if they were united. Progress would not continue if change cannot occur. This would also be an issue if government gained too much control or the wrong power. Communitarianism designs an education process that will promote good citizens, which will allow the political process to function with society. The government’s role would also be genuine once the education process is reformed. Michael Sandel applies communitarianism well with the influence of restoring individual rights within