他她話題:哈佛"正義"教授風靡首爾

Political philosopher Michael Sandel teaches one of the most popular courses at Harvard University. This past weekend, that popularity led to him throwing out the opening pitch at a South Korean pro baseball game.

政治學教授邁克爾•桑德爾(Michael Sandel)在哈佛大學(Harvard University)講授一門最受歡迎的課程。2012年6月初，桑德爾的這份名氣讓他在韓國職業棒球賽上投出了象徵開賽的一球。

Great teachers are revered in South Korea, but Mr. Sandel's celebrity status here is being shaped by a bigger, swiftly changing force-the economic uncertainty of the moment.

好老師在韓國很受尊重，但桑德爾在韓國的名人地位是受一種能量更大、變幻莫測的力量所推動──即當前經濟的不確定性。

Mr. Sandel first gained attention in South Korea last year when a TV network broadcast a series that aired in the U.S. in 2009 about his Harvard course on justice. Viewership was double the network's average, and it rebroadcast the show.

2011年，韓國一家電視臺播出了桑德爾2009年在哈佛大學講授的“正義”(Justice)課程，首次引起了韓國老百姓的關注。該片收視率是這家電視臺平均收視率的兩倍，還做了重播。

His latest book, 'What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets,' published two months ago in the U.S., was quickly translated into Korean. When he visited Seoul this past weekend to promote it, huge crowds followed.

2012年4月，桑德爾的新作《千金難買──市場的道德限度》(What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets)在美國出版，並很快被譯爲韓語。最近他來到首爾爲新書造勢，吸引了一大羣粉絲。

On Friday, 15,000 showed up at a university's outdoor amphitheater for one of his audience-centric discussions on ethics. The next night, another 1,000 packed a studio at one of South Korea's big three networks for a live broadcast on the same topic. Hundreds more came to book signings. On Sunday, Mr. Sandel threw the opening pitch for the LG Twins at Seoul's biggest baseball stadium.

2012年6月1日，有15,000人來到首爾延世大學(Yonsei University)的露天廣場，參與桑德爾主持的一場關於倫理道德的公衆論壇。第二天晚上，又有1,000人聚集到韓國三大電視臺之一的演播室，參與桑德爾關於同一話題的實況錄播。桑德爾的新書籤售會吸引了數百名讀者。6月3日，他在首爾最大的棒球場爲LG Twins棒球隊投出開賽第一球。

Even Seoul's new mayor, Park Won-soon, sought Mr. Sandel's feedback on some policies. The professor said a health-care plan involved bigger trade-offs than the mayor realized.

甚至連首爾新市長樸元淳(Park Won-soon)也向桑德爾尋求政策上的意見。這位市長表示，首爾一項醫保方案所付出的社會代價要比他預想的更多。

'I'm astonished and overwhelmed,' Mr. Sandel said in an interview after one of the book signings. He said he drew sizable crowds during recent visits to Tokyo and London, but the scene at Seoul's Yonsei University was 'nothing I could have imagined.'

桑德爾在一次簽名售書會後的採訪中說，“在韓國，人們的熱情讓我受寵若驚。”他說自己近期前往東京和倫敦時也吸引了不少粉絲，但首爾延世大學那場公衆論壇的大場面“完全超乎我的想象”。

For two hours, Mr. Sandel presided as students and adults debated some of South Korea's hot-button issues, including the cost of education, growing income disparity and the fairness of mandatory service in the South Korean military.

在兩小時的時間裏，桑德爾作爲主持，聽學生和參加論壇的成人就韓國一些熱點問題展開辯論，包括教育成本、收入差距拉大、強制入伍服役的公平性等。

'The fact we were able to have interaction and debate and discussion in such a large group and at such a high level was amazing,' he said.

桑德爾說，“規模這麼大的一個羣體能展開如此高水準的互動、探討和辯論，實在是太神奇了。”

South Koreans, like people elsewhere, have coped with an uneven recovery from the 2008 economic crisis and, as the perception grew that the rich have fared better, started to wrestle with big questions about fairness and opportunity.

2008年全球經濟危機爆發後，韓國和其他國家一樣，復甦的道路崎嶇不平。人們覺得富人的日子更好過，開始討論公平和機會這樣的重大社會問題。

Over the past year, some business and media figures have gained popularity by focusing on fairness themes. A software entrepreneur who is now a professor, Ahn Chul-soo, has become so popular with his outspoken criticism of South Korea's politics and economics that he is considered a prospective candidate in the country's presidential election in December.

過去一年來，一些商界人士和媒體人物通過關注社會公平而名聲大噪。安哲秀(Ahn Chul-soo)教授曾是一名軟件企業家，由於公開批評韓國政治和經濟問題而備受公衆擁護，並被視爲今年12月份韓國總統大選的熱門人選。

'After a period of remarkable economic growth, Koreans are now stepping back to reflect on big questions about values, including questions about what makes for a fair society, what role should money and markets play outside of the material domain,' Mr. Sandel said. 'There seems to be a great hunger right now at this moment to think about these questions and debate them in public.'

桑德爾說，“經過一段時間令人矚目的經濟增長，韓國人現在退後一步，開始思考關於價值方面的重大問題，例如什麼纔是公平社會、金錢和市場在非物質領域應該扮演什麼角色等。現在，人們渴望尋求這些問題的答案，並在公衆場合展開討論。”

In a survey conducted last month by Seoul's Asan Institute with questions from Mr. Sandel, 74% of respondents said Korean society was unfair.

2012年5月，首爾的峨山政策研究所(Asan Institute)用桑德爾設計的問題發起一項調查，有74%的受訪者表示，韓國社會不公平。

In the U.S., Mr. Sandel's own survey found 38% felt American society was unfair.

桑德爾自己在美國所做的調查顯示，有38%的受訪者認爲美國社會不公平。

'We developed very fast and we just valued money and material things for so long,' said Yoo Myung-jong, who attended one of Mr. Sandel's book signings. 'Nowadays, we are strengthening our emotions and ethics. His books and his questions are really helpful for Korea.'

參加桑德爾新書籤售會的Yoo Myung-jong說，“韓國的經濟增長非常快，長期以來，我們只關注金錢和物質上的東西。如今，人們開始關注自己的內心世界和倫理道德。桑德爾的書以及提出的問題對韓國來說真的很有幫助。”

Kim Seung-wan, a university student who attended Mr. Sandel's big lecture on Friday, said, 'People often think money is most important, but we need to think about other values.'

Yoo Myung-jong是一名大學生，參加了桑德爾在6月1日主持的大型公衆論壇。他說，“人們往往覺得金錢是最重要的，但我們需要思考除了金錢之外的其他一些價值取向。”

The Asan survey results suggest Koreans may have an outsized desire for fairness, at least compared with Americans. It found that 93% of Koreans believe government should remedy social and economic disadvantage while only 56% of American do.

峨山政策研究所的調查發現，韓國人對公平的渴望尤其強烈，至少跟美國人比是這樣。該項調查顯示，93%的韓國人認爲政府應該消除這種社會和經濟上的不公正，而只有56%的美國人這麼想。

And on an issue that Mr. Sandel discusses in his new book-whether it is fair for people to pay a fee to avoid lines at amusement parks-only 18% of South Koreans said it is, while 42% of Americans approve.

桑德爾在新書中提出一個問題──有人在遊樂場支付額外費用就不用排隊，這是否公平？──只有18%的韓國人認爲公平，而42%的美國人覺得沒問題。

Part of Mr. Sandel's appeal is tied to the glimpse that his TV show provided into the give-and-take style of teaching at U.S. colleges. About 85% of high-school students attend college in South Korea. When they get there, they quietly take notes from professors, who rarely field questions or seek input.

桑德爾受到歡迎的部分原因在於，其公開課節目展示出美國大學師生之間平等交換意見的教學風格。在韓國，約有85%的高中生進入大學，但上課時通常都是記筆記，很少向老師提問題或提出自己的看法。

'He keeps the discussion going and, in the end, makes people realize something.' said Jang Hye-won, a Seoul office worker who joined the crowd at Mr. Sandel's Yonsei event.

參加了延世大學公衆論壇的首爾白領Jang Hye-won說，“桑德爾不斷推動這種討論，最終能讓大家都領悟到一些東西。”