The Political Implications of the “Sociology of Truth” in Michael Sandel’s Communitarian Thought

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PHD Student, Department of political science, SR.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Interdisciplinary Studies Research Group, Encyclopedia Compilation Institute, Research Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, Tehran, Iran,

3 Assistant Professor, Department of political science, SR.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

4 Department of Pplitical Science, Ker.C., Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah, Iran

Abstract
This article examines the relationship between the “sociology of truth” and politics in the political thought of Michael Sandel. The central question is how Sandel’s immanent and sociological conception of truth generates specific political implications, and in what manner it reorients politics from a mere arena of power competition toward a “politics of virtue.” The findings indicate that by redefining truth as a form of collective commitment, Sandel interprets the common good within the horizon of shared traditions and communal dialogue. He accordingly explicates civic virtue as contingent upon adherence to a shared moral truth. Through advancing a model of “communitarian democracy,” Sandel seeks to reconstruct justice, liberty, and solidarity on the basis of a shared moral narrative.Given that the present inquiry aims to assess the political implications of the sociology of truth in Sandel’s thought, the study proceeds at a meta-theoretical level and employs a descriptive–interpretive methodology. The results demonstrate that within this framework, truth is conceived as an interpretive, intersubjective, and socially embedded process that departs from the classical correspondence theory of truth and instead becomes dependent upon moral fidelity to the common and collective good. The political implications of Sandel’s theory of truth include: the reconstruction of public discourse around civic truth; and the interpretation of justice as the realization of moral truth within the collective sphere.Thus, Sandel’s approach elevates politics from the management of interests and impulses to the cultivation of morally responsible citizens and the revitalization of civic bonds within the context of community..

Keywords



Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 22 July 2026