Is Michael Sandel a small r republican, if not what is he?

ChatGPT said:

Yes, Michael Sandel is broadly considered a small-r republican, but with strong communitarian and neo-Aristotelian influences. His political philosophy aligns with civic republicanism in its emphasis on the common good, participatory democracy, and resistance to unchecked market forces, but it also has key differences from traditional republican thought.

Why Sandel is a Small-r Republican:

1. Civic Virtue & the Common Good – Like classical republicans, Sandel argues that a good society is one where citizens actively engage in public life and cultivate virtues that sustain the community.
2. Critique of Liberal Neutrality – He rejects the Rawlsian liberal idea that justice should be neutral about conceptions of the good life, which aligns him more with civic republicanism’s emphasis on shared moral commitments rather than mere individual autonomy.
3. Democratic Engagement – He emphasizes the importance of participatory democracy, where citizens engage in deliberation about moral and political questions, rather than leaving them to private choice or technocratic decision-making.

How He Differs from Traditional Republicanism:

1. More Communitarian than Classical Republican – Sandel’s emphasis on community moral values and cultural attachments sometimes leans more toward communitarianism than strict republicanism.
2. Critical of Market Society – Unlike some civic republicans who focus on institutional design (e.g., Montesquieu, Pettit), Sandel places strong emphasis on the corrupting influence of markets on civic life, drawing from Aristotelian ideas about virtue and human flourishing.
3. Less Focused on Non-Domination – Classical and contemporary republicans (like Philip Pettit) emphasize non-domination as the core of freedom, whereas Sandel focuses more on the moral and ethical dimensions of public life.

Conclusion:

Sandel can be described as a civic republican with strong communitarian leanings and an Aristotelian moral philosophy. While he shares small-r republican concerns about civic virtue, participatory democracy, and the common good, his focus on moral discourse and community values places him closer to communitarianism and neo-Aristotelianism than to strict republican non-domination theories.