Portrait of Michael Sandel
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Michael Sandel

American political philosopher

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A Harvard professor who argues that markets crowd out civic values and that communities and shared purposes matter alongside individual rights.

Michael Sandel sits in the left-libertarian part of the Caucus economy and liberty compass: slightly state-led and slightly libertarian. The clearest positions are leaning nature-first on environment and leaning institutional on institutions. The profile is close to the middle on nation and interventionism.

Read more about Michael Sandel on Wikipedia →

Where Michael Sandel sits on ten dimensions

Each scale runs from one pole to the other, and the dot shows the overall tendency of this person's record and public life. These are simplified estimates and open to debate.

💰EconomySlightly state-led
State-ledFree market
⚖️Liberty and authoritySlightly libertarian
LibertarianAuthoritarian
🎭CultureSlightly traditional
ProgressiveTraditional
🌍NationCentered on nation
GlobalistNationalist
🌱EnvironmentLeaning nature-first
Growth-firstNature-first
🤖TechnologySlightly tech-cautious
Tech-cautiousTech-optimist
🕊️War and peaceSlightly peace-first
Peace-firstStrength-first
🏛️InstitutionsLeaning institutional
Anti-establishmentInstitutional
🙏ReligionSlightly religious
SecularReligious
🛡️InterventionismCentered on interventionism
Non-interventionistInterventionist

People most like Michael Sandel

Jonathan Haidt American social psychologist and author99%Bernardo Arévalo President of Guatemala, 2024 to present99%Cyril Ramaphosa President of South Africa, 2018 to present99%Johnny Briceño Prime Minister of Belize, 2020 to present98%Tristan Harris Co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology98%Philip J. Pierre Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, 2021 to present98%Dickon Mitchell Prime Minister of Grenada, 2022 to present98%Francisco Carvalho Prime Minister of Cabo Verde, 2026 to present98%

People furthest from Michael Sandel

Joseph Stalin Soviet leader, 1920s to 195325%Adolf Hitler Chancellor and Führer of Germany, 1933 to 194528%Benito Mussolini Prime Minister of Italy, 1922 to 194328%Vladimir Lenin Head of the Soviet government, 1917 to 192428%

Political views closest to Michael Sandel

CommunitarianismStresses community bonds, shared values and civic duty over pure individualism.99%LabourismDraws on trade unions and working-class communities to win better wages, rights and…98%Civic republicanismValues citizen participation, civic virtue and freedom from domination, and often…97%Non-alignmentKeeps countries out of great-power blocs and military alliances.96%

Read more about Michael Sandel

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Biographies of Michael SandelBooks on communitarianism

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Percentages show how close two profiles are across all ten dimensions. Including a person here is for study and comparison, not approval. Portrait: Fronteiras do Pensamento, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; see all photo credits.