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?
Why politics makes us depressed — and what we can do about it
What will it take to make democracy more representative?
Separating news from noise
What we learned from our guests in 2022
Where do the parties go from here?
The real free speech problem on campus
Jamelle Bouie makes the case for majoritarianism
Our conversation with Josh Shapiro [rebroadcast]
States united for democracy
Celebrating democracy's small victories
Climate change is everyone's fight
Francis Fukuyama on the promise and peril of liberalism
The backbone of democracy is now the face of fraud
How Democrats can harness grassroots energy
When should the states decide?
Chris Beem on the seven democratic virtues
Rural broadband and the politics of "good enough"
A deep dive into the administrative state
Reflecting on the January 6 hearings and what's happened since
A new approach to breaking our media silos
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
City Manager Unfiltered
Potencial Americano
The ASIC Podcast
The Chris Plante Show
Red Eye Radio