In this book, Michael Sandel takes up some of the hotly contested moral and political issues of our time, including affirmative action, assisted suicide, abortion, gay rights, stem cell research, the meaning of toleration and civility, the gap between rich and poor, the role of markets, and the place of religion in public life. He argues that the most prominent ideals in our political life - individual rights and freedom of choice - do not by themselves provide an adequate ethic for a democratic society. Sandel calls for a politics that gives greater emphasis to citizenship, community and civic virtue, and that grapples more directly with questions of the good life. Liberals often worry that inviting moral and religious argument into the public sphere runs the risk of intolerance and coercion. These essays respond to that concern by showing that substantive moral discourse is not at odds with progressive public purposes, and that a pluralist society need not shrink from engaging the moral and religious convictions that its citizens bring to public life.

迈克尔•桑德尔（Michael Sandel），著名政治学家、作家。现任教于哈佛大学。他在《自由主义与正义的局限》（Liberalism and the Limits of Justice，1982）一书中对罗尔斯《正义论》（Theory of Justice，1971）进行了批判，并提出了社群主义（Communitarianism）的理论。代表作还有《民主的不满》（Democracy's Discontent）和《公共哲学》（Public Philosophy）。桑德尔教授30多年来一直在哈佛大学讲授一门名为“公正”的课程，这是哈佛历史上累计听课学生人数最多的课程之一，是哈佛有史以来单学段参与人数最多的课程。英国的《卫报》称迈克尔•桑德尔教授为“世界上最受欢迎的老师之一”。