Betting on Death: Creepy or Not?

Monday night the NewsHour featured [**my discussion with Harvard professor Michael Sandel**](http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/jan-june12/makingsense_06-11.html) about his new book, "What Money Can't Buy," born from his famed, regularly mobbed Harvard course, "[**Justice**](http://www.justiceharvard.org/)," most of which is online and hugely popular the world over, especially in China, where Sandel has become a celebrity. There may not be a better or more thought-provoking way to get a moral education than watching the series. Tuesday's post is an excerpt from my interview with Sandel about secondary markets for life insurance policies that poses the question: Is it moral to place a bet on when your neighbors might die? Any qualms about betting on the lives of others, now a multi-billion dollar industry in the United States? Or, as Sandel put it: "Suppose you and I were looking out the window, and we saw a guy walking kind of wobbly, didn't know him, and we decided to place a bet as to how long he would live. Anything wrong with that?" My unpremeditated response: "It's creepy." How would *you* have responded? Watch the above short video exchange. And check out the "[**Justice**](http://www.justiceharvard.org/)" course online. It's an education all by itself. *This entry is cross-posted on the [**Rundown**](http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/)- NewsHour's blog of news and insight.*

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