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Hubris as Prime Ministerial Vice

Hubris as Prime Ministerial Vice

Posted on 31 July 2017 by

When Theresa May’s snap election backfired decimating her majority, many commentators were quick to use a language of vices to describe her errors. ‘May’s astounding arrogance has now paved the […]

Arrogant Pride and Alternative Facts

Arrogant Pride and Alternative Facts

Posted on 17 July 2017 by

"Pride...is a very common failing" (Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice). What Austen calls "pride" is these days better described as arrogant pride to distinguish it from the rightful pride of […]

Rallying the troops versus quieting the indignation

Rallying the troops versus quieting the indignation

Posted on 3 July 2017 by

A new National Rifle Association (NRA) video advertisement in the United States sparked controversy this week. Critics indicated that the emotive ad barely falls short of calling for violent action […]

What we’ve got here is failure to communicate

What we’ve got here is failure to communicate

Posted on 19 June 2017 by

Debate is a social process of interactive communication. We can distinguish at least four roles associated with parties to a debate. First, there are the debaters themselves — at least […]

Collaboration versus point scoring

Collaboration versus point scoring

Posted on 5 June 2017 by

Last Monday we held the first workshop associated with the project Changing Attitudes in Public Debate. The workshop was by invitation and designed to bring together some philosophers, social psychologists […]

Reducing arrogance in debate

Reducing arrogance in debate

Posted on 19 May 2017 by

In many Western democracies, public opinion seems to have become bitterly divided over increasingly divisive topics like immigration, Brexit, and the qualities of Donald J. Trump. People whose convictions are […]

We are now open for debate

We are now open for debate

Posted on 18 May 2017 by

Welcome to 'Open for Debate', a blog associated with the project Changing Attitudes in Public Discourse. We hope to use this space to debate all aspects and forms of debate. Ultimately, […]