Political disagreements are everywhere these days and most experts agree that too much political polarization is bad for democracy in the long run. How do we move beyond those disagreements, or at least not make them worse? Does the solution come from individual actions or institutional reform? Or perhaps a mix of both? This is what Robert Talisse describes as the "democrat's dilemma" and he argues the solution starts with introspection that he calls "democratic reflection."
Drawing on social science research concerning political polarization and partisan identity, Talisse's new book Sustaining Democracy suggests that when we break off civil interactions with our political opponents, we imperil relations with our political allies. In the absence of engagement with our political critics, our alliances grow increasingly homogeneous, conformist, and hierarchical. Moreover, they fracture and devolve amidst internal conflicts. In the end, our political aims suffer because our coalitions shrink and grow ineffective.
Michael and Chris contrast the need for democratic introspection and collaboration with the prospect of institutional reform and discuss how to make sense of Talisse's arguments as we approach the one-year anniversary of the January 6 insurrection. Talisse previously joined us in December 2019 to discuss his book Overdoing Democracy.
Additional InformationSustaining Democracy: What We Owe to the Other Side
Related EpisodesIs it possible to overdo democracy?
A story about democracy, told through 20 million traffic stops
Breaking the silence in Syria
Citizenship, patriotism, and democracy in the classroom
Behind the scenes of the “Year of the Woman”
The democrats in public sector unions [Labor Day rebroadcast]
Middle America, Part 2: Grassroots organizing and rebooting democracy
Middle America, Part 1: Populism and the Trump Voter
Facebook is not a democracy
How will we remember Charlottesville?
A democracy reading list
Bonus: A dose of optimism about the future of democracy
The constitutional crisis episode
Unpacking political polarization
What should voting look like in the 21st century?
When the “business of business” bleeds into politics
Michael Mann’s journey through the climate wars
Can young people revive civic engagement?
Bonus: Democracy In Action #1
A conversation about conversation
Ten thousand democracies
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
City Manager Unfiltered
Potencial Americano
The ASIC Podcast
The Chris Plante Show
Strict Scrutiny