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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.
政治学教授迈克尔•桑德尔(Michael Sandel)在哈佛大学(Harvard University)讲授一门最受欢迎的课程。2012年6月初，桑德尔的这份名气让他在韩国职业棒球赛上投出了象征开赛的一球。
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.
好老师在韩国很受尊重，但桑德尔在韩国的名人地位是受一种能量更大、变幻莫测的力量所推动──即当前经济的不确定性。
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，韩国一家电视台播出了桑德尔2009年在哈佛大学讲授的“正义”(Justice)课程，首次引起了韩国老百姓的关注。该片收视率是这家电视台平均收视率的两倍，还做了重播。
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，桑德尔的新作《千金难买──市场的道德限度》(What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets)在美国出版，并很快被译为韩语。最近他来到首尔为新书造势，吸引了一大群粉丝。
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人来到首尔延世大学(Yonsei University)的露天广场，参与桑德尔主持的一场关于伦理道德的公众论坛。第二天晚上，又有1,000人聚集到韩国三大电视台之一的演播室，参与桑德尔关于同一话题的实况录播。桑德尔的新书签售会吸引了数百名读者。6月3日，他在首尔最大的棒球场为LG Twins棒球队投出开赛第一球。
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.
甚至连首尔新市长朴元淳(Park Won-soon)也向桑德尔寻求政策上的意见。这位市长表示，首尔一项医保方案所付出的社会代价要比他预想的更多。
'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.'
桑德尔在一次签名售书会后的采访中说，“在韩国，人们的热情让我受宠若惊。”他说自己近期前往东京和伦敦时也吸引了不少粉丝，但首尔延世大学那场公众论坛的大场面“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.
在两小时的时间里，桑德尔作为主持，听学生和参加论坛的成人就韩国一些热点问题展开辩论，包括教育成本、收入差距拉大、强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.
桑德尔说，“规模这么大的一个群体能展开如此高水准的互动、探讨和辩论，实在是太神奇了。”
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年全球经济危机爆发后，韩国和其他国家一样，复苏的道路崎岖不平。人们觉得富人的日子更好过，开始讨论公平和机会这样的重大社会问题。
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.
过去一年来，一些商界人士和媒体人物通过关注社会公平而名声大噪。安哲秀(Ahn Chul-soo)教授曾是一名软件企业家，由于公开批评韩国政治和经济问题而备受公众拥护，并被视为今年12月份韩国总统大选的热门人选。
'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.'
桑德尔说，“经过一段时间令人瞩目的经济增长，韩国人现在退后一步，开始思考关于价值方面的重大问题，例如什么才是公平社会、金钱和市场在非物质领域应该扮演什么角色等。现在，人们渴望寻求这些问题的答案，并在公众场合展开讨论。”
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，首尔的峨山政策研究所(Asan Institute)用桑德尔设计的问题发起一项调查，有74%的受访者表示，韩国社会不公平。
In the U.S., Mr. Sandel's own survey found 38% felt American society was unfair.
桑德尔自己在美国所做的调查显示，有38%的受访者认为美国社会不公平。
'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.'
参加桑德尔新书签售会的Yoo Myung-jong说，“韩国的经济增长非常快，长期以来，我们只关注金钱和物质上的东西。如今，人们开始关注自己的内心世界和伦理道德。桑德尔的书以及提出的问题对韩国来说真的很有帮助。”
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是一名大学生，参加了桑德尔在6月1日主持的大型公众论坛。他说，“人们往往觉得金钱是最重要的，但我们需要思考除了金钱之外的其他一些价值取向。”
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.
峨山政策研究所的调查发现，韩国人对公平的渴望尤其强烈，至少跟美国人比是这样。该项调查显示，93%的韩国人认为政府应该消除这种社会和经济上的不公正，而只有56%的美国人这么想。
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.
桑德尔在新书中提出一个问题──有人在游乐场支付额外费用就不用排队，这是否公平？──只有18%的韩国人认为公平，而42%的美国人觉得没问题。
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.
桑德尔受到欢迎的部分原因在于，其公开课节目展示出美国大学师生之间平等交换意见的教学风格。在韩国，约有85%的高中生进入大学，但上课时通常都是记笔记，很少向老师提问题或提出自己的看法。
'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.
参加了延世大学公众论坛的首尔白领Jang Hye-won说，“桑德尔不断推动这种讨论，最终能让大家都领悟到一些东西。”
