FIFTH TASK
Watch the
talk offered by Michael Sandel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvDpYHyBlgc&t=735s) and answer :
- How does Michael Sandel support the thesis that "over the past three decades we have drifted from having a market economy to becoming a market society?" According to what he says in the lecture, our society has become a market society because everything is up to sale and social values are not relevant anymore. Market has corrupted and bribed society making it lose basic values like the sense of community.
- What sorts of arguments are offered for and against the
assumed proposal of paying young children two dollars for every book they read? For:
Some people say that strategy works and make children get into reading.Against: Many people think it is not a good strategy to encourage or get children reading because it would teach the wrong lesson. Children would start reading or getting good grades because they love money and not because they feel passionate about it. That strategy would corrupt children’s mind and behaviour.
- Now, what is your standpoint about cash incentives at school
or at home to encourage students to read more books? I
think they are totally wrong when they offer children money for reading. They
should use other strategies to encourage people read, for instance,
scholarships, trips, clothes, because once money stops you will notice if
children read for passion or just for money. It would be sad that children read
just for money.
- When Michael Sandel contends that "this tendency of
markets and cash incentives of crowding out nonmarket goods, higher goods, can
be seen in may spheres of social life, what sort of "higher goods" do
you think he is refering to? I
think he refers to social practices and moral values you cannot buy with money.
The passion for learning, and the sense of community would be crowded out if
children were offered money for reading and having gratitude.
- What kind of nonmaterial goods do you think have been
crowded out by market transactions in Colombia? I
think here in Colombia many nonmaterial goods have been crowded out. One clear
example is participating in elections. People here in Colombia are paid or
offered money to vote for anybody when we have the elections.
- What should be the role of money and markets in our
Colombian society? I
think money should be used to improve people’s life providing good education
and health security. Investing money in education to have less people poor and
inequality. In our society, we should use money to keep a democracy where
people from different backgrounds can meet and share their experiences
regardless their social or economy status.