How America lost its mind—and how to get rationality back | John Inazu

Oct 16, 2025

Washington University professor John Inazu delves into the reasons behind America's intense political polarization. He points out that the constant barrage of information on social media fuels confirmation biases and hinders meaningful dialogue. Inazu introduces the concept of 'confident pluralism,' emphasizing the importance of engaging with differing opinions through tolerance and humility. He also shares practical habits to foster civic conversations, such as diversifying news sources and practicing patience in discussions.

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ANECDOTE

Hostile Response To Ferguson Article

John Inazu recounts receiving a hostile response to his Ferguson piece: "Move your guilty ass to Ferguson or shut your pie hole."
He uses this exchange to illustrate how people often shut down disagreeable ideas instead of engaging them.

INSIGHT

Differences Shape Worldviews

Deep differences shape not just opinions but how people perceive and think about the world.
These divisions appear across everyday choices like media, shopping, and geography.

INSIGHT

Information Volume Amplifies Polarization

The problem today isn't new partisan bias but the much higher volume of information we receive.
Constant updates reinforce beliefs and increase anger without challenging our ideas.

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Washington University professor John Inazu tells us how we can make peace inside a raging culture war. What explains the high levels of political polarization in American society today? To writer and law professor John Inazu, the answer is not necessarily that the media has become more biased — there has always been bias in the news, after all. The more likely answer is that the “volume” of the information we encounter has been turned way up, thanks to technology. For example, while we used to have limited access to the news through the newspaper and nightly broadcasts, we can now get constant updates on social media, email, and news apps. Often, the result is that we seek out information that confirms our beliefs and we have trouble connecting with people whose opinions differ from our own. Inazu suggests we can break out of our ideological bubbles through “confident pluralism,” which he describes as a framework that uses the values of tolerance, patience, and humility to help people better engage with each other. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About John Inazu: John Inazu is the Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law and Religion at Washington University in St. Louis. He teaches criminal law, law and religion, and various First Amendment seminars. His scholarship focuses on the First Amendment freedoms of speech, assembly, and religion, and related questions of legal and political theory. He is the author of Liberty’s Refuge: The Forgotten Freedom of Assembly (Yale University Press, 2012) and Confident Pluralism: Surviving and Thriving Through Deep Difference (University of Chicago Press, 2016), and co-editor (with Tim Keller) of Uncommon Ground: Living Faithfully in a World of Difference (Thomas Nelson, 2020). Inazu holds a B.S.E. And J.D. From Duke University and a Ph.D. In political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He clerked for Judge Roger L. Wollman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and served for four years as an associate general counsel with the Department of the Air Force at the Pentagon.

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