Henry Farrell, a political theorist from Johns Hopkins, dives into the radical concept of democracy as a problem-solving mechanism. He argues that democratic systems are not just just, but also efficient in generating innovative solutions to societal challenges. The discussion contrasts democratic processes with markets and hierarchies, highlighting the importance of collective decision-making. Farrell critiques neoliberalism's tensions with democratic values and emphasizes the need for collaborative governance to tackle complex societal issues.
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Democracy as Problem-Solving
Democracies, markets, and hierarchies are all problem-solving modes.
Democracy's strength lies in its ability to harness diverse perspectives and convert them into actionable solutions.
insights INSIGHT
Libertarian Critiques of Democracy
Some libertarians critique democracy due to perceived citizen ignorance and cognitive biases.
They propose alternatives like epistocracy, increased market reliance, or exit options.
insights INSIGHT
Democracy's Dynamic Nature
Democracy is not an optimization problem; it's a discovery process.
Goals and values often emerge during the democratic process, not before it.
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In 'The Public and Its Problems', John Dewey critiques traditional notions of the state and democracy, arguing that a public forms in response to problems and that democracy should be localized to foster genuine community engagement. Dewey also discusses the 'eclipse of the public' due to industrialization and centralization, which complicates the identification of public interests.
Against Democracy
Jason Brennan
W książce "Against Democracy" Jason Brennan argumentuje, że demokracja nie jest najlepszym systemem rządów. Autor twierdzi, że większość ludzi nie jest wystarczająco kompetentna, aby podejmować decyzje polityczne. Brennan proponuje alternatywne systemy, takie jak epistokracja, w których władza byłaby sprawowana przez osoby o wysokiej wiedzy i inteligencji. Książka wywołuje kontrowersje, ale prowokuje do refleksji nad wadami demokracji i możliwościami innych systemów rządów. Brennan analizuje różne aspekty demokracji, wskazując na jej ograniczenia i potencjalne zagrożenia.
The Enigma of Reason
A New Theory of Human Understanding
Dan Sperber
Hugo Mercier
In 'The Enigma of Reason', Mercier and Sperber argue that human reason did not evolve to enable individuals to solve abstract logical problems or make better decisions on their own. Instead, they propose that reason is primarily a social competence, developed to justify thoughts and actions to others, produce arguments to convince others, and evaluate the reasons given by others. This theory explains why reason is both a unique cognitive capacity of humans and why it often leads to biased and lazy reasoning. The book emphasizes that reason's main utility lies in facilitating cooperation and communication within complex social groups, making it an adaptation to the hypersocial niche humans have built for themselves[1][2][3].
Globalists
The End of Empire and the Birth of Neoliberalism
Quinn Slobodian
In 'Globalists: The End of Empire and the Birth of Neoliberalism,' Quinn Slobodian challenges the common perception that neoliberals aim to shrink government and abolish regulations. Instead, he argues that neoliberalism emerged to redeploy government and regulatory frameworks at a global level to protect and expand capitalism. The book follows a group of thinkers from the ashes of the Habsburg Empire to the formation of the World Trade Organization, highlighting their efforts to create supranational institutions that insulate global markets from national governments and democratic demands. Slobodian's work provides a nuanced analysis of the 'Geneva School' of neoliberalism and its impact on global economic integration and democracy[1][2][5].
Seeing Like a State
How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed
James C. Scott
In this book, James C. Scott examines the failures of centrally managed social plans and the destructive consequences of high-modernist ideologies. Scott argues that states often impose simplistic visions on complex societies, ignoring local, practical knowledge and leading to disastrous outcomes. He identifies four conditions common to all planning disasters: administrative ordering of nature and society, high-modernist ideology, authoritarian state power, and a prostrate civil society. The book critiques various utopian projects, including collective farms, compulsory villagization, and urban planning, and advocates for a more nuanced approach that respects local diversity and practical knowledge.
Democracy posits the radical idea that political power and legitimacy should ultimately be found in all of the people, rather than a small group of experts or for that matter arbitrarily-chosen hereditary dynasties. Nevertheless, a good case can be made that the bottom-up and experimental nature of democracy actually makes for better problem-solving in the political arena than other systems. Political theorist Henry Farrell (in collaboration with statistician Cosma Shalizi) has made exactly that case. We discuss the general idea of solving social problems, and compare different kinds of macro-institutions — markets, hierarchies, and democracies — to ask whether democracies aren’t merely politically just, but also an efficient way of generating good ideas.
Henry Farrell received his Ph.D. in Government from Georgetown University. He is currently the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute Professor of International Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He was the 2019 recipient of the Friedrich Schiedel Prize for Politics & Technology. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and co-leader of the Moral Economy of Technology initiative at Stanford University. He is a co-founder of Crooked Timber blog, as well as the Monkey Cage blog at the Washington Post.
Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas 
