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Michael Sandel and Political Philosophy

Date:

2026-05-19

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Alfred Hong

One of the aims of Future of Singapore website is to curate content that are of interest to Singapore and Singaporeans

Who is Kenneth Paul Tan?

Kenneth Paul Tan is a Professor of Politics, Film, and Cultural Studies at Hong Kong Baptist University. He has a YouTube channel at
https://www.youtube.com/@kennethpaultan

Kenneth posted on Facebook:

Many people today know Michael Sandel mainly through his recent critiques of meritocracy. But long before that, he was already one of the key figures associated with “communitarian” political philosophy, questioning highly individualistic ways of thinking about society, morality, and citizenship.

As an undergraduate in the 1990s, I studied Sandel’s work in political philosophy courses. So it was a pleasure, years later, to interview him at the Singapore Writers Festival in 2015 after his lecture on markets, morality, and the common good.

I’ve now split that conversation into three shorter clips covering:

• Public philosophy in the internet age,

• Markets and moral life, and

• Public service and political salaries

It’s interesting to revisit these questions a decade later, in a world that has become even more shaped by digital media, inequality, market reasoning, and political distrust.

The clips are now up on my YT channel.

Here are the 3 videos:

Public Philosophy in the Internet Age
Markets, Morality and the Common Good

Political Salaries vs Public Service

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