Jeffrey Friedman, RIP
Friedman was a notable - and underrated - political theorist.
Political Ignorance
Andrew Koppelman Responds to Critics of His Book on Libertarianism [Updated]
The response is part of the Balkinization blog symposium on his book " Burning Down the House: How Libertarian Philosophy Was Corrupted by Delusion and Greed," in which I was among the participants.
Balkinization Symposium on Andrew Koppelman's "Burning Down the House: How Libertarian Philosophy Was Corrupted by Delusion and Greed"
Participants include Jonathan Adler, Richard Epstein, Christina Mulligan, and myself, among others.
NIMBYism and Economic Ignorance
A new study presents compelling evidence that opposition to new housing construction is often caused the mistaken belief that it will increase housing prices rather than reduce them.
Yale Journal on Regulation Symposium on Peter Shane's "Democracy's Chief Executive"
Participants include Daniel Farber, Keith Whittington, Cristina Rodriguez, Lisa Heinzerling, and myself, among others.
Conservative Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw Says Republican Leaders' Election Denialism was "Always a Lie"
GOP politicians lied in order to exploit public ignorance. That dynamic is just one particularly egregious example of the broader danger widespread voter ignorance and bias.
Social Media Interaction Does Not Improve Political Knowledge, but It Does Polarize Us
Two new studies say there's no evidence of political learning on social media, but it does increasingly teach us to hate our opponents.
Not Everything Bad is "Anti-Democratic"—and that which is Democratic isn't Always Good
Tyler Cowen explains why it's a mistake to conflate democracy with what is good and just.
The "Good Government Trilemma": Why We Can't Have Democracy, Accountability, and Big Government all at Once
Canadian legal scholar Leonid Sirota outlines some reasons why.
My New Book Chapter on "Top-Down and Bottom-Up Solutions to the Problem of Political Ignorance""
It is now available for download on SSRN. The chapter is part of a forthcoming volume on "The Epistemology of Democracy," edited by Hana Samaržija and Quassim Cassam.
The Political Strategy of "Making the Other Side Better"
Economist Tyler Cowen argues this approach is too often neglected. But is more common than he suggests.
Conservative Legal Luminaries Release Report Entitled "Lost, Not Stolen: The Conservative Case that Trump Lost and Biden Won the 2020 Presidential Election"
The authors include big-name conservative former federal judges Michael Luttig and Michael McConnell, former Bush Solicitor General Ted Olson, and others.
More on the National Constitution Center "Restoring the Guardrails of Democracy" Project
Video of presentations by the leaders of the Conservative, Libertarian, and Progressive Teams. Plus, my thoughts on a comparison of the three reports by Progressive Team leader Ned Foley.
National Constitution Center Releases Reports on "Restoring the Guardrails of Democracy"
The project includes reports by conservative, libertarian, and progressive teams. I am coauthor of the Team Libertarian report.
Can the January 6 Committee Hearings Break Through the Barriers of Political Ignorance and Bias Underpinning the Big Lie?
Most of those open to evidence already know that Trump tried to reverse the outcome of an election he legitimately lost. Reaching the rest is likely to be extremely difficult, at best.
Bryan Caplan on "Misinformation About Misinformation"
One of the world's leading experts on public knowledge and ignorance explains why consumers of misinformation are often as much to blame as producers.
Consistent Paternalists Should Back Restrictions on Voters, Too
In an important new article, political philosophers Jason Brennan and Christopher Freiman explain why standard justifications for paternalistic restrictions on consumers also apply to voters.
The Demand for Political Misinformation is a Bigger Danger than the Supply
Harvard Law Professor Guy-Uriel Charles has some useful insights on the problem.
Are Public Ignorance and Misinformation Getting Worse?
The answer, as Tyler Cowen and Matthew Yglesias, argue, is probably not. But political ignorance is still a serious problem.
January 6 and the Problem of Political Ignorance
Ignorance and bias played a major role in the attack on the Capitol and in the continuing belief of many Republicans that Biden didn't really win the 2020 election. The issue is part of the broader problem of political ignorance and bias, which is by no means confined to any one side of the political spectrum.
Anthony Downs, RIP
One of the greatest political economists of the 20th century passed away earlier this month.
Does the Supreme Court's Declining Popularity Matter?
It could make the Court more vulnerable to political attack and to measures such as court-packing. But the vulnerability might not be great - or last long.
My National Affairs Article on "Voting With Our Feet"
The article explains how expanding opportunities for foot voting can enhance political choice, help the poor and disadvantaged, and reduce the dangers of political polarization.
Trolls Will Be Trolls, Online and Offline, Reports New Study
Being jerks is just the way some people try to make themselves feel dominant.
Derek Chauvin Jury Selection Process Highlights Need to Stop Dumbing Down Juries
The system routinely excludes not only those who might be familiar with a given case, but also those who have relevant background knowledge that might improve the quality of jury deliberations.
Biden Administration Revokes Trump Changes to Citizenship Test for Immigrants
The previous administration had made some reasonable changes, but also introduced questions based on factual errors and questionable normative assumptions smuggled in under the guise of factual knowledge.
Rights and Wrongs of the Trump Administration's Revised Citizenship Test
Some of the changes are reasonable. But many of the new questions are badly designed and incorporate serious errors. Moreover, such tests raise the deeper issue of why immigrants are required to pass a test to get the right to vote, but natives are not.
Perils of Trump's Conspiracy-Mongering About the Election
His promotion of far-fetched conspiracy theories about the election is highly unlikely to change the results. But it is damaging, nonetheless.
Is there a Moral Duty to Vote in an Election Where the Stakes are Unusually High?
There could be in some situations. But less often than many assume. And, ironically, the same reasoning suggests many people would have a duty NOT to vote in such cases.
Two Important New Books on Knowledge, Bias, and Paternalism
Recent works by longtime intellectual antagonists Cass Sunstein (author of "Too Much Information") and Mario Rizzo and Glen Whitman (authors of "Escaping Paternalism") have a surprising amount of common ground.
Political Ignorance Is Bliss
Could paying less attention to politics be better for you, your relationships, and society?
New Survey on Public Ignorance About the Holocaust
The poll shows extensive ignorance among millenials and Generation Z, and is consistent with many previous studies showing widespread ignorance about politics and history. But one of its findings may be less bad than it looks.
Justifying a Moral Duty to Vote is a Lot Harder than You Might Think
Political philosopher Jason Brennan explains why.
Connecticut Passes Law Curbing Qualified Immunity—but with Loopholes
The law is a step in the right direction, but has significant limitations, that should be a warning sign for future reform efforts.
How Foot Voting Promotes Political Freedom Better than Ballot Box Voting
Second in a series of posts based on my new book "Free to Move: Foot Voting, Migration, and Political Freedom"
My New Book "Free to Move"—And Why I Wrote it
The first in a series of posts based on my book "Free to Move: Foot Voting, Migration, and Political Freedom"
Part I of Interview about My Book "Free to Move" with Yale Law Professor Jack Balkin
Professor Balkin asked me many great questions in interview just published at his Balkinization blog.
Kindle Edition of My Forthcoming Book "Free to Move: Foot Voting, Migration, and Political Freedom" Now Available
It's available for preorder now, and will be delivered on April 23
Should We Replace Traditional Elections with Sortition?
Recent controversies over election rules and the coronavirus threat have bolstered advocates of decision-making by randomly selected groups of voters. But this approach still has serious flaws.
When Should Lay Voters Defer to the Views of Scientists?
My 2015 post on this subject includes points relevant to our current situation.
Public Education as Public Indoctrination
A New York Times study describes how both red and blue states use public education to indoctrinate students in their preferred ideologies. This dynamic should dampen hopes that public education can fix the problem of widespread political ignorance.
Study Finds Almost 40 Percent of People in Eight European Nations Would Like to Live "in a World Where Chemical Substances Don't Exist"
Such scientific ignorance is common in th US as well, and can have a harmful influence on government policy.
My Contribution to the Inquiry Symposium on Jason Brennan's Book "Against Democracy"
The article is now available on SSRN.
The Growth of the "Cultic Milieu" and the Spread of Harmful Ideas
Historian Stephen Davies provides a good explanation of why fringe "cultic milieu" ideas are growing in influence. It's a troubling development, but not one that should lead us to categorically abjure non-mainstream political ideas.
Why We Shouldn't Treat Survivors and Victims as Authorities on Policy Issues
The dispute over Harvard's decision to rescind the admission of Parkland shooting survivor/gun rights activist Kyle Kashuv should remind us of the reasons why we should not have given any special status to his views in the first place. The same goes for most others in similar situations.
Perils of "Democratic Socialism"
The seemingly new version of socialism advocated by many on the left today has all too many flaws in common with old kind.
The Rights and Wrongs of Electoral Interference
Russia's interference in the 2016 election was wrong. But the reasons why are harder to pin down than you might think. Not all foreign interference in elections is unjustified. Far from it, in fact.
Why Moral Progress Is Not Inevitable
Political theorist Jacob Levy reminds us that the arc of history doesn't always bend towards justice. Moral retrogression has happened before, and could well occur again.