What can motivate citizens in divided societies to engage in free,
open, and reasoned dialogue? Attempts by philosophers to answer this
question focus largely on elucidating what citizens owe to one another
as free and equal citizens, as members of a shared social context, or
as agents who are mutually dependent on one another for our
well-being. In The Deliberative Impulse: Motivating Discourse in
Divided Societies, Andrew F. Smith suggests that that a better answer
can be offered in terms of what we owe to our convictions. Given the
defining role they play in how we live our lives and regard ourselves,
among the highest-order interests that we maintain is being in a
position to do right by our convictions—to abide by conscience. By
developing a clear understanding of how best to act on this interest,
we see that we are well served by engaging in public deliberation.
Particularly for citizens in societies that are fragmented along
ethnic, cultural, ideological, and religious lines, our interest in
abiding by conscience should give us clear moral, epistemic, and
religious incentives to deliberatively engage with allies and
adversaries alike. Scholars who focus on issues in political
philosophy, ethics, and political theory will value this book for how
it suggests we can overcome the motivational roadblocks to active
political participation and robust deliberation.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780739169179
Publisert
2015
Utgiver
Vendor
Lexington Books
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter