The 15th LaFontaine-Baldwin Lecture, delivered by Harvard political philosopher Michael Sandel on Sept. 25, 2017, began with a troubling but pertinent question — how do we decide which immigrants to let into the country? Over 90 minutes of sustained engagement with the 1,000-person crowd, Sandel pressed those gathered on their fundamental moral stances, encouraging the participants to listen to and work through differences of opinion. The outcome was not consensus, but an emerging clarity; the debate about immigration is a debate about what it means to be a citizen. What are our obligations to our fellow citizens?

A full recording of the lecture is available (see below)

Notable Quotes:

“We need to aim at a higher pluralism; not a pluralism based on toleration, but a pluralism based on engagement with difference of opinion.”

“Debates on immigration policy prompt us to do what we don’t do — reflect on citizenship.”

“A richer kind of public discourse has to engage more directly with big ethical questions in politics.”

“We have transitioned without even realizing it, from a market economy to a market society.”

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More coverage:

Toronto a ‘shining example’ of pluralism and diversity, says 6 Degrees Citizen Space speaker, The Globe and Mail

People are hungry for public discourse on equality, says Harvard philosopher Michael Sandel, CBC - The Current

The Failure of Liberal Politics, TVO - The Agenda