The divide : how fanatical certitude is destroying democracy / Taylor Dotson.
"A highly readable and punchy roadmap that ordinary citizens and policymakers alike can use to begin rethinking and refashioning their political interactions to be more productive"-- Provided by publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780262542715
- ISBN: 0262542714
- Physical Description: 226 pages ; 23 cm
- Publisher: Cambridge, Massachusetts : The MIT Press, [2021]
Content descriptions
Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Formatted Contents Note: | If the truth is on your side... -- The facts -- Common sense -- Other truth narratives -- Democratic political talk -- Reconstructing democracy -- The democratic society and its enemies. |
Search for related items by subject
Subject: | Democracy > Moral and ethical aspects. Truthfulness and falsehood > Political aspects. Fanaticism > Political aspects. Polarization (Social sciences) Communication in politics. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Missouri Evergreen. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at North Kansas City.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
North Kansas City Public Library | 321.8 DOTSON 2021 (Text) | 0001002464681 | Nonfiction | Available | - |
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The Divide : How Fanatical Certitude Is Destroying Democracy
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Summary
The Divide : How Fanatical Certitude Is Destroying Democracy
Why our obsession with truth--the idea that some undeniable truth will make politics unnecessary--is driving our political polarization. In The Divide , Taylor Dotson argues provocatively that what drives political polarization is not our disregard for facts in a post-truth era, but rather our obsession with truth. The idea that some undeniable truth will make politics unnecessary, Dotson says, is damaging democracy. We think that appealing to facts, or common sense, or nature, or the market will resolve political disputes. We view our opponents as ignorant, corrupt, or brainwashed. Dotson argues that we don't need to agree with everyone, or force everyone to agree with us; we just need to be civil enough to practice effective politics. Dotson shows that we are misguided to pine for a lost age of respect for expertise. For one thing, such an age never happened. For another, people cannot be made into ultra-rational Vulcans. Dotson offers a road map to guide both citizens and policy makers in rethinking and refashioning political interactions to be more productive. To avoid the trap of divisive and fanatical certitude, we must stop idealizing expert knowledge and romanticizing common sense. He outlines strategies for making political disputes more productive- admitting uncertainty, sharing experiences, and tolerating and negotiating disagreement. He suggests reforms to political practices and processes, adjustments to media systems, and dramatic changes to schooling, childhood, the workplace, and other institutions. Productive and intelligent politics is not a product of embracing truth, Dotson argues, but of adopting a pluralistic democratic process.