Every year, at Harvard University, Michael J. Sandel's lectures attract over a thousand students, who fill the seats of Sanders Theatre. How did political philosophy become one of the most popular courses in the university's history? The famous professor achieved the impossible: making the concept of justice captivating.

Let's imagine a truck driver heading towards five pedestrians, who will inevitably lose their lives. At the intersection, the driver has the option to turn onto a side road, where another pedestrian is located. Most people, adopting the logic of utilitarianism, which perceives justice as securing the maximum good for the majority, would choose the bypass solution. Now, let's imagine that someone stands next to an overweight person on a bridge that crosses over a highway. The fall of the overweight person from the bridge could stop the truck. Most people would express their moral objections in this scenario, which contradicts the notion of justice as respect for freedom and fundamental human rights. However, if in both cases, one human life is sacrificed to save five, why is the second scenario "wrong"?

Michael J. Sandel poses similar dilemmas to his students: What are our obligations to others within the framework of a free society? Is it right for the government to tax the wealthy to help the poor? Is the free market just? Is it sometimes wrong to tell the truth? Is the ethical killing of others ever required? Is it possible, or desirable, to legislate morality? Do individual rights conflict with the common good?

In his book "Justice," Michael J. Sandel offers readers the same captivating journey that fascinates Harvard students. The book is an insightful, eloquent exploration of the meaning of justice and invites readers of all political beliefs to examine old conflicts in new and enlightening ways. Affirmative action, same-sex marriage, medically assisted suicide, abortion, military service, patriotism, and the right to dissent, the ethical boundaries of markets - Sandel shows how even the most controversial issues can be illuminated by a solid ethical argumentation.