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Democracy

American Politics Deliberative Democracy Bargaining Table Daniel Layman
("Uncle Sam's Thanksgiving Dinner" by Thomas Nast, 1869)
Essays Society 

American Democracy and Its Broken Bargaining Tables

March 23, 2021April 28, 2021 13 min read Daniel Layman Democracy, Essential Reading, Politics

American politics is in peril. Now is the time to replace our broken bargaining tables with more deliberative democracy.

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Authentic Democracy Distilled Populism Walter Horn Erraticus
("The County Election" by George Caleb Bingham, 1854)
Essays Society 

Who Cares About Democracy?

January 15, 2021April 28, 2021 9 min read Walter Horn Democracy, Politics, Voting

Some people consider democracy a good thing only if it gets them the outcome they want. Perhaps the US just needs more democratic reforms.

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Suspending Politics to Save Democracy Erraticus Overdoing political
(Jorge Alcala)
Essays Society 

Suspending Politics to Save Democracy

February 19, 2020June 1, 2020 8 min read Lawrence Torcello Democracy, Polarization, Politics

Just political systems secure the means of living satisfying private lives while political saturation crowds out key aspects of a good life.

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Overdoing Democracy
(Brett Sayles)
Ideas Society 

We’re Overdoing Democracy. But Why?

December 23, 2019June 1, 2020 7 min read Kevin Vallier Democracy, Essential Reading, Polarization, Politics

Society has become so politically-saturated that we’re now overdoing democracy. Here are a few reasons why it undermines our institutions.

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Epistocracy Better Form of Democracy Erraticus Image by Element5Digital
(Element5 Digital)
Ideas Society 

Epistocracy: A Better Form of Democracy or Rule by Philosophers?

March 22, 2019April 30, 2021 7 min read Jason Brennan Democracy, Politics

Consider an alternative political system which retains the same institutions of representative democracy but apportions power according to knowledge or competence.

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A Pragmatic Approach to Ideas

An online publication focused on human flourishing, taking a pragmatic approach to ideas. We care about ideas that help us to live well together, focusing on their practical consequences.

 

“Pragmatism, on the other hand, asks its usual question. ‘Grant an idea or belief to be true,’ it says, ‘what concrete difference will its being true make in anyone’s actual life? How will the truth be realized? What experiences will be different from those which would obtain if the belief were false? What, in short, is the truth’s cash-value in experiential terms?'” — William James

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