Democracy, peace, & deliberation

It is precisely because people recognize that they are involved in a repeated game that they become willing to negotiate solutions to their differences. That is why enduring collective forms such as social movements and political parties have persisted despite repeated efforts to replace them with more efficient arrangements. These vehicles of coll... See more

To be stable and effective, both democracy and democratic publics require people to be socially embedded in ongoing relationships rather than temporary mini-publics. Such relationships may be less efficient in the short term, so that some optimal policies remain out of reach, but they are better over time at generating political compromises that ca... See more

Above all, Sloman seems to be arguing for thinking through the practical implications of one’s beliefs.

Most issues can be framed in terms of the consequences they produce. Rather than asking whether it is right or wrong to, say, allow people to carry concealed weapons, we can ask what the consequences of such a policy would be. And asserting a cons... See more

Everyone gave me a version of the same answer: Taiwan’s democracy is less than 40 years old. Martial law is still in living memory, and no one wants to return. So Taiwanese people don’t take elections and participation for granted; as cyber ambassador Audrey Tang put it, Taiwan views its government not as a “fossilized” institution, but as malleabl... See more

Fuller blames this thinning on two factors. First, extreme partnership has led to “an intense focus” on specific political outcomes, rather than developing better democratic processes. Second, large private foundations and governments are putting money into their own agendas, rather than tools to empower everyday citizens.