Trying to Navigate a Polarized World? This Ancient Philosophy Can Help

Blocks from a Hard Rock Cafe and nestled between graffitied buildings, the ruins of the Stoa Poikile sit, crumbling and nearly overtaken by greenery. Millennia before American brands dotted the streets of Athens, these ruins had served as the lecture hall for Zeno of Citium , the founder...
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More than Memorization: A New Civics Education Vision May Reduce Polarization

In the United States today, politics seems to be less about governing and more about finding the best way to demean the other side. The result: a partisan divide and an epidemic of affective polarization. Affective polarization is defined as “the extent to which citizens feel more...
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How You Can Depolarize Yourself and America: The Best 7 Ideas from Early 2021

From the Center This viewpoint is from a writer rated Center. How can I depolarize myself? How can I depolarize others in my network? I searched across the web for thought leaders who can help answer these questions. The links below are all from early 2021. Some links are nearly entirely...
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It’s Not Just Them: Research Suggests Irrational Biases Across the Political Spectrum

In our increasingly polarized age, it has become commonplace to attribute our political opponents’ beliefs to their irrationality. Advancements in psychology seem to validate this view: we are prone to confirmation bias, engage in motivated reasoning, and become self-insulated in social...
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Surveys Show Republican Voters Actually Support Increasing the Minimum Wage, Just Not to $15/Hour

U.S. Congress will consider a $15 minimum wage for the second time soon. Joe Biden and most congressional Democrats want to more than double the minimum hourly wage from its current level of $7.25. Although Democrats have this policy goal, survey data (see below) show that the majority of...
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How a Famous Democratic Socialist and Christian Conservative Forged a Deep Friendship

Cornel West and Robert P. George are unlikely friends, but they are so close they call each other “brother” and regularly talk about friendship and faith across political differences. West, a Democratic Socialist, public intellectual and self-described “revolutionary Christian,” and...
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Are Republicans or Democrats More Compassionate? Research Says It May Be a Trick Question

We know the stereotypes of “bleeding heart” liberals, compared with conservatives who are supposedly less caring. But what does academic research say on the topic of which party is more compassionate? According to research published by Dr. Meri Long of the University of Pittsburgh,...
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Reducing Polarization: Learn That the Other Side Thinks of You More Positively Than You Expect

From the Center This viewpoint is from a writer rated Center. As friendships and family relationships continue to strain or break over political disagreements, Americans are learning firsthand about a new kind of political polarization: affective polarization . Affective polarization is...
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Meet Adam Hoffman, Key Figure Behind a Depolarizing Curriculum for 700,000 High Schoolers

From the Center This viewpoint is from a writer rated Center. “We are all in this together” was a powerful message that I gleaned from my conversation with Adam Hoffman on the evening of January 6th, mere hours after a mob of Trump supporters stormed our nation’s capital, embodying the...
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These Famous Political Opposites Have Been Married for Over 25 Years. How Do They Make It Work?

A View from the Left This piece is from a writer rated Lean Left. The relationship began when they were political rivals. Mary Matalin was a campaign director for Republican George H.W. Bush. James Carville was the chief strategist for Democrat Bill Clinton. Yet at the start of Bill...
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Can Religion, Neuroscience, and Good Deeds Heal America?

Political polarization is a massive and complicated issue, one which can be explained, and combatted, through a number of different approaches. The One America Movement utilizes a unique approach to addressing polarization in the United States. It draws from psychology and social science...
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When Natural Disasters Strike Like They Did in 2020, Republicans and Democrats See Similar Role for Government

From the Left Editor's Note: This viewpoint is from a writer rated Lean Left. In 2020, Americans experienced many natural disasters, including record-setting fires in California and Colorado, and some of the most tropical systems ever to make landfall. By September, the country already...
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Remember Those Heartwarming Campaign Ads for Utah Governor? Here’s What’s Needed to Make Them the Norm

In a year when partisan rancor was rampant on the national political stage, glimmers of hope for positive campaigning still shone through. One case of this was the Utah gubernatorial election. Chris Peterson and Spencer J. Cox, opponents in the election, produced very popular shared ads...
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