Exploring the consequences of thinking about voting from an individual standpoint, the challenges of informed voting and policy consequences, determining a candidate's likelihood to follow through on promises, the role of social science in voting, collective decision-making and plurality of opinions, the relationship between civic education and political beliefs, and understanding voting patterns and avoiding assumptions.
Voting based on harm reduction or to be efficacious is not a valid reason to vote, according to Jason Brennan's book The Ethics of Voting.
Voting is just one way to express civic duties, as individuals have obligations to society that can be fulfilled through other means besides voting.
Being an informed voter is crucial, and individuals who have made an effort to understand how they should vote are better qualified than those who have not, according to Brennan.
Deep dives
Voting for Efficacy
According to Jason Brennan's book, The Ethics of Voting, voting to achieve a specific outcome is not rational or efficacious. Even in a close election, the chances of an individual's vote determining the outcome are extremely small. Therefore, Brennan argues that voting based on harm reduction or to be efficacious is not a valid reason to vote.
Civic Virtue and Voting
While civic virtue is often invoked as a duty to vote, Brennan suggests that voting is just one way to express those duties. He argues that individuals have obligations to society, but voting is not the only way to fulfill those obligations. Brennan highlights that there are other ways to contribute to society besides voting, particularly in cases where the cost of voting, including being well-informed, is high.
Informed Voting
Brennan emphasizes the importance of being an informed voter. He suggests that individuals who have made an effort to understand how they should vote are better qualified to vote than those who have not. Brennan argues that insufficiently informed individuals should abstain from voting as their uninformed votes may contribute to making things worse. He recommends becoming familiar with social scientific research rather than relying on news sources for informed decision-making.
The Limitations of Voting
Brennan's book raises important questions about the efficacy and meaningfulness of individual votes. Voting may not have a significant impact on the electoral outcome and may be influenced by factors like campaign rhetoric and the influence of others. Additionally, the discrepancies between candidates' campaign promises and their actual actions in office further complicate the decision-making process. Despite these limitations, individuals may still vote for social reasons, like fulfilling a sense of civic duty or strengthening relationships.
The limitations of non-utilitarian liberal accounts
Non-utilitarian liberal accounts acknowledge that people have incommensurable values, but they argue that individuals should have the freedom to vote or consume based on their own values. However, one criticism of this perspective is that people's desires may not always align with what is good for them, and if the state caters to such desires, it can have negative consequences. The distinction between belief and knowledge of what is truly beneficial creates a challenge, as individuals may resist paternalistic judgments about what they should have or do.
The role of education, experiences, and demographics
Civic education is often proposed as a solution to shape people's thinking and beliefs. However, it is questioned whether education can effectively change people's views, given their diverse experiences and the complexity of modern society. Marxist analysis highlights the role of social roles and experiences in shaping perspectives, suggesting that changing the types of activities people engage in may lead to shifts in their consciousness. It is argued that solely relying on education or classroom teachings may not be sufficient to understand the causes of certain beliefs or prevent undesirable outcomes in society.
Alex and Benjamin discuss The Ethics of Voting (Princeton UP, 2011) by Jason Brennan, a contemporary political philosopher with a right-libertarian bent. They explore the consequences of thinking about voting from the standpoint of the individual. They talk about "harm reduction," and explore the many reasons it is hard to predict the consequences of elections in a straightforward way.
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