A.J. Jacobs is a journalist and author. His most recent book is The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution's Original Meaning. We discuss how the Founding Fathers prized humility, experimentation, and a willingness to change their own minds. 

The heart of our democracy is for the community to come together and cooperate. One example is to advocate for democratic reforms, which are nonpartisan. Being apathetic or cynical helps the slide into autocracy. Resisting the allure of quick, hot takes and practicing slower thinking are also crucial to democracy. The founding fathers were deeply invested in balance, especially when it comes to the power of a president being balanced by Congress. A.J. reminds us that everyday citizens can control whether the sun is rising or setting on democracy. 

Follow A.J. on X: 

https://x.com/ajjacobs 

Follow Mila on X: 

https://x.com/milaatmos 

Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/

Sponsor: 

Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.

Love Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey! 

http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=6tI0Zi1e78vq&ver=standard 

Take the Democracy Group’s Listener Survey!

https://www.democracygroup.org/survey

Want to support the show and get it early? 

https://patreon.com/futurehindsight 

Check out the Future Hindsight website! 

www.futurehindsight.com

Read the transcript here:  

https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/living-constitutionally-aj-jacobs 

Credits: 

Host: Mila Atmos 

Guests: A.J. Jacobs

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis