I agree that we are neurologically wired to believe information that strikes an emotional chord. To address this, I have always been a proponent of teaching critical thinking for children Grades 3 and up. By middle school, all students should be engaged in formal debates, and not just in social studies classes. Training the brain to be more skeptical about information that is being thrown at them from all directions. To be less vulnerable of influencers.
Bonus - students learn quickly to enjoy the competitive aspects of debate and learn to identify cracks in logic and “common sense” rhetoric. They also learn to be respectful of their opponents and to follow the rules of engagement.
Thanks for this great reading list recommendation. Anand Giridharadas has written another book 'Winners Take All' which could be added to this list as I really do believe economics plays a big influencer role as well.
Thanks for the thoughtful blog. I found your suggestions for rebuilding common ground strong and helpful. The diagnosis, however, not so much. The diagnoses can be summed up as: biology makes us do division, take cognitive shortcuts, not want to change our minds, and listen to misinformation. In fact, if we took this diagnosis seriously, all we could do would be accept the inevitability of biology. While this should help inform our analysis of these problems, it also removes human judgment and responsibility as possible causes. Obsessive human desire to achieve MAGA (making America great again) is driving Trump's supporters, making them blind, leading them to legitimate horrible actions to achieve this goal; but this obsessive desire is a matter of the heart. It can be changed. This is where your helpful solutions come into play. They really assume human agency and potential for change are real, not biological fatalism, and they offer some real hope. Hope lies in our human agency to change our hearts and minds, what we desire, what we think, how we legitimate and justify things. Thanks for blog, John
‘Vexed: Ethics Beyond Political Tribes’ by James Mumford (May 2020) would be a good addition to this list. The author argues that everyone can pick and choose what policies they prefer, like items on a menu, rather than feel forced to adopt all the stated positions of an overarching ideology.
Thanks for your very interesting post.
I agree that we are neurologically wired to believe information that strikes an emotional chord. To address this, I have always been a proponent of teaching critical thinking for children Grades 3 and up. By middle school, all students should be engaged in formal debates, and not just in social studies classes. Training the brain to be more skeptical about information that is being thrown at them from all directions. To be less vulnerable of influencers.
Bonus - students learn quickly to enjoy the competitive aspects of debate and learn to identify cracks in logic and “common sense” rhetoric. They also learn to be respectful of their opponents and to follow the rules of engagement.
Thanks for this great reading list recommendation. Anand Giridharadas has written another book 'Winners Take All' which could be added to this list as I really do believe economics plays a big influencer role as well.
Thanks for the thoughtful blog. I found your suggestions for rebuilding common ground strong and helpful. The diagnosis, however, not so much. The diagnoses can be summed up as: biology makes us do division, take cognitive shortcuts, not want to change our minds, and listen to misinformation. In fact, if we took this diagnosis seriously, all we could do would be accept the inevitability of biology. While this should help inform our analysis of these problems, it also removes human judgment and responsibility as possible causes. Obsessive human desire to achieve MAGA (making America great again) is driving Trump's supporters, making them blind, leading them to legitimate horrible actions to achieve this goal; but this obsessive desire is a matter of the heart. It can be changed. This is where your helpful solutions come into play. They really assume human agency and potential for change are real, not biological fatalism, and they offer some real hope. Hope lies in our human agency to change our hearts and minds, what we desire, what we think, how we legitimate and justify things. Thanks for blog, John
‘Vexed: Ethics Beyond Political Tribes’ by James Mumford (May 2020) would be a good addition to this list. The author argues that everyone can pick and choose what policies they prefer, like items on a menu, rather than feel forced to adopt all the stated positions of an overarching ideology.