In a series of 3 public events on 8 and 9 March at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) being recorded for radio, Michael Sandel professor of political philosophy at Harvard and one of the university's most popular lecturers will challenge his audience to apply critical thinking to the sort of ethical dilemmas most people rely on gut instinct to resolve.

Michael Sandel's lectures to Harvard undergraduates are so popular that students
have to be turned away. The lectures are challenging and interactive. Audience members are asked to raise their hands in response to a series of questions about their attitudes to a political issue of the day. The brave ones will volunteer to explain the thinking behind their views. So begins an hour in which political controversies are examined with regard to the underlying philosophical issues.

An antidote to the "yah-boo" debate of party politics, Sandel's lectures will be profound as well as entertaining.

The lectures will be broadcast as The Public Philosopher on BBC Radio 4 at 9am and repeated at 9.30pm on:

Tuesday 3 April 2012 - Should universities give preference to applicants from poor backgrounds?|
Tuesday 10 April 2012 - Should a banker be paid more than a nurse?|
Tuesday 17 April 2012 - Should we bribe people to be healthy?|

Michael Sandel is Professor of Government and lecturer in political philosophy at
Harvard. As the BBC's Reith lecturer in 2009, he explored the topics of moral and
civic renewal in democratic politics; genetics and morality; the role of morality in
politics; and the moral limits of markets. In January 2011 he hosted a discussion for
BBC Four at the Royal Institution on fairness in public policy and the Big Society. His
latest book, What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets, will be published in
April 2012.

Suggested hashtag for this event for Twitter users: #lseSandel

Podcast

A podcast of this event is available to download from the BBC website, The Public Philosopher|.

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CPD

This event has been certified for CPD| purposes by the CPD Certification Service|. Self-Assessment Record forms will be made available for delegates wishing to record further learning and knowledge enhancement for Continuing Personal and Professional Development (CPD) purposes. For delegates who wish to obtain a CPD Certificate of Attendance, it is the responsibility of delegates to register their details with a LSE steward at the end of the event and as of 1 September 2014 a certificate will be sent within 28 days of the date of the event attended by the CPD Certification Service|. If a delegate fails to register their details at the event, it will not prove possible to issue a certificate. (For queries relating to CPD Certificates of attendance after a request please phone 0208 840 4383 or email info@cpduk.co.uk|).