About

Political opinions in many Western-style democracies show signs of increasing polarisation. This has coincided with a change of tone in debates. Seemingly arrogant behaviours like shouting, mocking, dismissing or rudely interrupting other people during discussions seem more frequent and widespread.

Open for Debate brings together academics, journalists, policymakers and the general public to explore the changing nature of public debate. How is the tone of debate shifting, and what can we do to tackle arrogant or aggressive behaviours?

The blog is part of a wider project, Changing Attitudes in Public Discourse, run jointly by Professor Alessandra Tanesini (Cardiff University) and Professor Gregory Maio (University of Bath), and funded by Humility and Discourse in Public Life.

We welcome contributions to the blog, whether links to news stories about public debate or suggestions for posts. Get in touch via the comments section below or email capd@cardiff.ac.uk.

Our header image, ‘Old fashioned microphone‘ by Josh Lloyd, is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

This blog was supported by a subaward agreement from the University of Connecticut with funds provided by Grant No. 58942 from John Templeton Foundation. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of UConn or John Templeton Foundation.