Democratic Humility
Reinhold Niebuhr, Neuroscience, and America's Political Crisis
1st Edition
Published on 9. June 2015
356 pages
979-8-216-29677-5 (ISBN)
Description
American politics is in a state of crisis but it is not clear why. Nor do we know what to do about it. Reinhold Niebuhr helps us understand what is wrong with our politics and research into the workings of the brain confirms his analysis. Call it sin or motivated reasoning and confirmation bias, the bottom line is that all of us are what Niebuhr calls "Children of Light." We are all vain and self-righteous about our beliefs and values, and far too quick to reject any information that goes against them. The unprecedented rise of talk radio and cable news helps to account for why things are so bad. We all want to hear that our group is smarter and more moral than others. To restore a democracy that functions, we need to understand ourselves better and develop the humility that such knowledge should engender.
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Book
05/2019
Lexington Books
€54.20
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Person
Christopher Beem received his PhD from the University of Chicago Divinity School.
Content
Chapter 1: Moderating our Pretensions: Niebuhr on Being Human
Chapter 2: Between Sentimentality and Pessimism: Niebuhr on Democracy
Chapter 3: Neuroscientists for Niebuhr
Chapter 4: Rattlers and Eagles/Democrats and Republicans
Chapter 5: Partisan Infotainment: A New Business Model for the New Media
Chapter 6: Partisan Infotainment and Democracy: Not All Bad, Not Half Good
Chapter 7: Weapons and Instruments: Using Government to Fix Government
Chapter 8: Religion: "a constant fount of humility"
Chapter 9: "Guardians of Democracy": Democratic Humility through Civic Education
Conclusion: Democratic Humility
Chapter 2: Between Sentimentality and Pessimism: Niebuhr on Democracy
Chapter 3: Neuroscientists for Niebuhr
Chapter 4: Rattlers and Eagles/Democrats and Republicans
Chapter 5: Partisan Infotainment: A New Business Model for the New Media
Chapter 6: Partisan Infotainment and Democracy: Not All Bad, Not Half Good
Chapter 7: Weapons and Instruments: Using Government to Fix Government
Chapter 8: Religion: "a constant fount of humility"
Chapter 9: "Guardians of Democracy": Democratic Humility through Civic Education
Conclusion: Democratic Humility
