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Moralism wins, morality loses. Moralism as a vice in the public debate

Moralism wins, morality loses. Moralism as a vice in the public debate

Posted on 27 January 2020 by

Federico Zuolo         Back in the 20th century, it was not uncommon to hear a leftist accusing a conservative of being “moralist”. Indeed, conservatives were attacked for […]

Depending on others for knowledge

Depending on others for knowledge

Posted on 13 January 2020 by

We depend on others. We depend on others when we are sick or when we need help moving into a new house. We also depend on others for knowledge. We […]

Places of formation: Cultivating open-mindedness amongst university students

Places of formation: Cultivating open-mindedness amongst university students

Posted on 30 December 2019 by

Bethan Willis                             Ed Brooks In the ongoing discussions around Brexit our relationship to place, near and far, […]

Is Gay Marriage a Genuinely Progressive Social Transformation?

Is Gay Marriage a Genuinely Progressive Social Transformation?

Posted on 16 December 2019 by

On 22nd May 2015, many referendum voters in the Republic of Ireland made history: 62.07 % of them stated that they were in favour of legalising same-sex marriage. Yep, 62.07 […]

Am I Humble? Are You Humble?

Am I Humble? Are You Humble?

Posted on 2 December 2019 by

 If one were to boil the concept of civil public discourse down into a single idea, it may be this: avoid ad hominems. Ideas should be debated, scrutinized, and questioned, […]

How To Build A Safer Internet

How To Build A Safer Internet

Posted on 18 November 2019 by

Earlier this year, the UK government consulted on an Online Harms White Paper that proposes a new model of social media regulation. The response to the consultation was lukewarm at […]

Addressing ethical dilemmas in teaching for intercultural citizenship: the role of IH and conviction

Addressing ethical dilemmas in teaching for intercultural citizenship: the role of IH and conviction

Posted on 4 November 2019 by ,

By Michael Byram  and    Manuela Wagner In the last two blog entries we took a first look at the relationship between teaching for intercultural citizenship (applying the knowledge, skills […]

The role of conviction in intercultural competence/citizenship

The role of conviction in intercultural competence/citizenship

Posted on 21 October 2019 by ,

In the previous blog we investigated the relationship between intellectual humility (owning the limitations of one’s knowledge) and intercultural citizenship (applying the knowledge, skills and attitudes of intercultural competence to […]

Do intercultural Citizens need to be intellectually humble?

Do intercultural Citizens need to be intellectually humble?

Posted on 7 October 2019 by ,

By Manuela Wagner and Michael Byram The late Paddy Ashdown, British politician and diplomat, emphasized in 2012 “In the modern age, where everything is connected to everything, the most important […]

Normalization—Practices Make It So

Normalization—Practices Make It So

Posted on 23 September 2019 by

Rising nationalism and nativism around the world generate a toxic brew of arrogance and xenophobia that pits people against one another in often frightening ways. Understanding some discursive mechanisms that […]

I am an atheist

I am an atheist

Posted on 9 September 2019 by

I am an atheist.  That is, I believe that God does not exist.  I don’t make a point of telling people this (except when I’m writing a philosophical piece like […]

How to vote well

How to vote well

Posted on 26 August 2019 by

It seems elections are everywhere at the moment. Following on the heels of EU elections that for the first time saw turnout increase, the US is gearing up for a […]

Do we have the will to change what we believe?

Do we have the will to change what we believe?

Posted on 12 August 2019 by

A tweet made it to the United States’ front page of Reddit.com on July 21st 2019 from the subreddit, r/GetMotivated. The tweet, originally from @michaelmiraflor, read, “Unfollow models and influencers. […]

Putting Academic Skepticism to Work

Putting Academic Skepticism to Work

Posted on 29 July 2019 by

The Academic Skeptics were philosophers who modeled themselves on Socrates and his method of questioning.  When the Delphic Oracle reported that no one was wiser than him, Socrates reasoned that […]

SHOULD WE PUBLICLY EXPRESS ANGER?

SHOULD WE PUBLICLY EXPRESS ANGER?

Posted on 15 July 2019 by

Anger is a red mist, which blinds us. It blinds us to the good in other human beings, and to the danger in violent or uncompromising action. Accordingly, expressing anger […]

The Human Ingredient Needed for Productive Disagreement

The Human Ingredient Needed for Productive Disagreement

Posted on 1 July 2019 by

My last post argued that engaging in disagreement outside of one’s own group works as an antidote to beliefs that are oversimplified and therefore inaccurate. But disagreement cannot do this […]

The Benefits of Disagreement

The Benefits of Disagreement

Posted on 17 June 2019 by

Our world contains a whirlwind of claims and opinions, including about important matters like politics, ethics, and religion. In forming our own view, it is natural to find our way […]

Argument Repair

Argument Repair

Posted on 3 June 2019 by

It’s easy to blame current problems with public discourse on the brevity of on-line communication. People are moving away from blogs to image exchanges. TLDR. Limited word counts (such as […]

What Polarization Does to Us

What Polarization Does to Us

Posted on 30 May 2019 by

Commentators from across the political spectrum warn us that extreme partisan polarization is dissolving all bases for political cooperation, thereby undermining our democracy.  The near total consensus on this point […]

Good Conversation

Good Conversation

Posted on 20 May 2019 by

On the first of march 2018, Jack Dorsey published a manifesto setting out Twitter’s plans for improving the site. At the centre of this thread are worries that incivility, disagreement, […]