Sublime

However, they can also lead to a distorted view of the world in which every situation is judged in simplistic ideological terms, and an ugly tribalism emerges. At worst, such groups can be united not by common objects of love but by their mutual hatred for other groups.

Weil called for the abolition of all political parties. She argued that parties, regardless of their ideological coloration, share three basic traits. They are dedicated to nurturing collective passions, designed to exercise collective pressure upon the minds of their members, and devoted to their collective self-preservation.

If you don’t like the way government is being run, cross party lines.

In our political behavior, we are becoming less a nation of detached individualists and more a nation of all-in tribal partisans, ready to move collectively in one direction or the other.

Of course, politics isn’t just a mishmash of arguing—in a liberal democracy, politics necessarily organizes itself into parties. Even in high-rung politics, sometimes the best way to compromise is to form two sides and go at it.