Empathetic Deliberative Democracy
An aspect of the theory of democracy focuses on deliberative democracy. Simply put, deliberative democracy posits that political decisions should be the result of reasonable, fair discussion and debate among citizens. Some claim the primary benefit of deliberative democracy is its ability to arrive at the truth about an issue or a problem. Deliberative democracy promotes truth and accuracy, in other words.
Generating empathy
Michael Hannon, however, is developing another aspect of deliberative democracy. In a recent paper, he suggests that the primary objective of deliberation should be the production of empathy. He does not denigrate the significance of truth seeking but says that developing understanding among citizens may be even more important than truth seeking.… Read the rest
Empathy, the Coronavirus, and Political Polarization
The recent controversy over when or whether to restart the economy considering the coronavirus epidemic prompted me to examine the role of empathy in political polarization. Trump apparently prompted by arguments made by some business and investor interests publicly articulated his view that social or physical distancing, with some exceptions, should end by Easter to restart the American economy. Public health officials and related scientists suggest that such a move could endanger the health of many Americans, making the epidemic much worse.
These differing viewpoints often reflect the political polarization in our country. Republicans, with some exceptions, tend to support the restart view, especially as developed via the Fox news network.… Read the rest
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