The Volokh Conspiracy

Mostly law professors | Sometimes contrarian | Often libertarian | Always independent

Volokh Conspiracy

An interview on "Know-Nothing Politics"

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Vanderbilt political philosopher Robert Talisse recently interviewed me for the "Why We Argue" podcast series on the problem of political ignorance, polling errors in the 2016 election, and a variety of related issues—including whether sports fans are more illogical and biased than "political fans." The audio is available here.

Readers interested in this subject should also check out this recent Vox interview with political scientists Christopher Achen and Larry Bartels, discussing their excellent recent book Democracy for Realists. I reviewed the book for the History News Network. As I note in the review, Achen and Bartels are in some ways even more pessimistic about the electorate than I am. Though I differ with them on several points, I highly recommend their important book to anyone interested in the problem of political ignorance, and the future of our democratic system more generally.