Alliance News

At our last monthly meeting, on March 23, we were delighted to have a good number of reds in attendance.  We took turns describing our stories—personal experiences that led us to have the political views we have. Participants seemed to really appreciate the opportunity to tell their stories in a respectful environment and to learn from others who have had very different experiences from themselves. That’s what Braver Angels is all about!  We hope to have more meetings and events like that in the future.

 At our next monthly meeting, on April 27, we are fortunate to have Beth Malow visiting us to discuss the book she recently co-authored with Doug Teschner and Becky Robinson: Beyond the Politics of Contempt.  The book provides an insightful analysis of how Americans have gotten so polarized, as well as practical advice and exercises we can use to help ourselves and others understand one another.   For more information on the book, see https://beyondthepoliticsofcontempt.com/ .  This event is co-sponsored by the DC and Montgomery County Alliances.

When: Monday, April 27.  The program runs from 7:00 to 8:30 pm.  Come at 6:30 pm to socialize!

Where: District 3 Police Station Meeting Room, 1002 Milestone Dr., Silver Spring, MD, 20910, where Route 29 and New Hampshire Ave. (Rte. 650) meet.

Register: here. (Free with promo code Braver).  Please come even if you are unable to register.

Reflections: How can you be so sure?

“The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure that it is right,” according to Judge Learned Hand.  Why?  Well, consider the alternative: the authoritarian believes, or acts as if, he is unquestionably right.    In a democracy, on the other hand, a belief in one’s fallibility is necessary for the compromises essential for the government to function

But why shouldn’t we feel certain about our political beliefs?  Well, for one thing, most of us are not experts.   Experts devote years to the study of some specific area of political relevance.    To learn what experts have to say we can read the articles and books they write.  But honestly we only have the time or motivation to do so much of that.   One thing you can do is select opinion columns written by authors whose names are not familiar to you, rather than regular columnists.   Often these writers are experts on the subject they are writing about. But, of course, experts disagree.  So we should read experts with differing opinions.  And even experts should not feel too sure of themselves:   Experts who are most certain of their judgments have been found to be worse at predicting political events than ones who are more modest.1

Further, there are limits to expertise.   Some thinkers see knowledge as distributed throughout society.2 Each one of us is an expert in his/her own life: not only about our problems, but also about the solutions to those problems. A rank-and-file employee knows things about how best to do his/her job that the CEO knows nothing about.   In this vein, Learned Hand continues, “The spirit of liberty is the spirit which seeks to understand the minds of other men and women.” None of us knows the minds, interests, challenges, and solutions found by men and women who lead very different lives from us.

So much for knowledge.   What about opinion?   To find reasons to feel uncertain about our opinions, consider the fact that we react emotionally before we reason.3  Unless we are vigilant, our thinking is likely to be a rationalization for our gut feelings.   And watch out for all those cognitive biases you’ve heard of…4

If you are still feeling confident in your convictions at this point, think of the well-documented influence of your social environment on your beliefs.  Imagine being Hamlet: Not only is reality unclear to him, “as in the best it is” for all of us, but he must decide what is right absolutely ALONE, with no help or feedback from another soul.   How would any of us cope with that?   In contrast, the enormous social support we have for our views can give us a false sense of certainty.

One of our main social supports is our political party.  But our political parties have veered back and forth in their positions, and their constituencies have veered along with them5—usually with little long-term memory for having changed.6    Back in the 1980s, the Democratic party was in favor of tariffs and limited immigration, i.e., the current Republican positions. Democrats old enough to remember those times probably can’t recall having held those positions. But Democrats have no monopoly on amnesia.   Many Republicans are currently turning away from their traditional free trade position.   Maybe in 10-20 years, most Republicans won’t remember having once been in favor of free trade and against tariffs.  How certain can you be that your opinions will be the same in the future as they are today?   And if you probably will eventually change your mind, how confident should you be in your current views?  (H/T to Earl Shoop).  And let’s hope your mind does change, because, as William Blake said, “The man who never alters his opinion is like standing water, and breeds reptiles of the mind.”  We certainly don’t want that to happen!

In sum, we should not feel too certain about our opinions.   Uncertainty and humility open the door to tolerance and understanding of others with views different from our own.  As Judge Hand concludes, “The spirit of liberty is the spirit which weighs their [other men’s and women’s] interests alongside its own without bias.”  (Ok, “without bias” may be too much to ask of us mortals, but you get the point.)

1Tetlock, Philip E. (2005).  Expert Political Judgment: How Good Is It?  How Can We Know?

2 Sowell, Thomas (2007) [First published 1987]. A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles  (Revised ed.)

3Haidt, Jonathan (2012). The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion.

4Kahneman, Daniel (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow.

5Lewis, Verlan & Lewis, Hyrum (2022). The Myth of Left and Right: How the Political Spectrum Misleads and Harms America.

6Among others: Rodriguez & Strange (2015). “Dissonance-induced false memories: Evidence from a free-choice paradigm,” Journal: Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. Read the paper (ResearchGate copy).

How To Get Involved in Braver Angels

Ambassador

Q: What does an Ambassador do?

A: Braver Angels Ambassadors work in outreach, speaking publicly to various organizations or writing op-eds.

Q: How do I get trained to be a Braver Angels Ambassador?

A: Take the Braver Angels Ambassador Training

Q: How can I get more information?

A: Contact us!

Debates

Q: Would you like to run or help run debates?

A: If yes, take the Debate Organizer Training

Q: How can I get more information?

A: Contact Andrew!

Workshops

Q: Would you like to moderate or organize workshops?

A: If you would like to help organize workshops, take the Braver Angels Organizer Training

A: If you would like to moderate a workshop, take the Braver Angels Moderator Training

A: If you only have time to pitch in on the day of a workshop and not organize in advance, contact Justin, and we will find ways for you to be involved!