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"How Can They Be so Blind?" Exploring America's Political Divide

Curious about the wild political scene in the United States over the past ten years? (Twenty years? Fifty years? Two hundred years?) This class will explore some fundamentals of human thought such as perceptual bias, avoidance of uncertainty, and the use of mental models to make sense of a complex world. We’ll talk about key thinkers in America’s ongoing give-and-take between economic priorities and humanist values. We’ll consider the influence of social changes in demographics, Supreme Court composition, legacy and social media, and concerns about voter fraud and voter suppression. We’ll pay special attention to the influence of the radical right and Donald Trump's efforts to tear down public trust in democratic institutions in favor of autocratic rule and how the resulting anger has led to mean-spirited scapegoating and alternate realities. Finally, we’ll explore how we can tone down the fear and anger and begin to talk and listen to each other with curiosity and respect.

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