Trinity Forum Conversations

Hope Beyond Tribalism with James Mumford

Sep 17, 2024

James Mumford, an author focused on ethics and political tribalism, delves into the pervasive issues of political polarization and personal isolation. He argues for the importance of self-reflection and empathy in bridging gaps between differing beliefs. Mumford highlights the dangers of blindly adhering to political affiliations and advocates for engaging in charitable dialogues that foster understanding. He emphasizes that Christian identity should transcend political identity, promoting a vision of civil discourse rooted in faith.

27:59

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Episode guests

James Mumford

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Quick takeaways

Understanding how political tribalism creates package deals that misalign individual beliefs is crucial for meaningful public discourse.

Fostering moral imagination and empathy can help individuals move beyond tribalism, promoting a more nuanced approach to political engagement.

Deep dives

The Nature of Political Tribalism

Political tribalism is characterized by a tendency to bundle various ideological positions into package deals that dictate stances on diverse issues. This results in inconsistencies, where socially linked issues might misalign, such as opposing gun control while advocating for tough crime measures, based on tribal identity rather than individual beliefs. Political coalition-building contributes to this clustering, leading individuals to align with a tribe based on a few shared views, often disregarding conflicting moral positions. Understanding and recognizing these package deals is crucial for addressing the harmful implications they have on both personal convictions and public discourse.

Intro

2min

Navigating Political Polarization

11min

Understanding Tribalism and Its Impact

6min

The Crucial Role of Intellectual Consistency in Virtue

2min

Faith Over Politics

6min

Hope Beyond Tribalism with James Mumford

Amidst a culture of political tribalism and personal loneliness, how can we more clearly, creatively, charitably, and faithfully think and engage with our neighbors? What kinds of practices of mind, body, and spirit, might help us to see and act with greater empathy and understanding?

In his book, Vexed: Ethics Beyond Political Tribes, author James Mumford considers these questions and how often our ethical convictions get politically bundled up with others in what he calls a kind of “package deal.”

It’s in examining our own convictions, and the exercise of the moral imagination that we can begin to move beyond tribalism into a greater freedom:

“The sort of engagement relationally that I'm talking about, it's very different from the sort of combative exchange that we see on social media. And so it is a counter cultural project, I think, to disengage, to question our own assumptions, and then also to engage with other people about their own assumptions and their own convictions and how those fit together.” - James Mumford

We hope this conversation helps you to think more clearly about your own convictions, and to view your neighbors, even those with whom you disagree, with greater empathy.

This podcast is an edited version of an online conversation recorded in June 2020. Watch the full video of the conversation here, and learn more about James Mumford.

Authors and books mentioned in the conversation:

Vexed: Ethics Beyond Political Tribes, by James Mumford

The Righteous Mind, by Jonathan Haidt

T. S. Eliot

Related Trinity Forum Readings:

Four Quartets - T.S. Eliot

Children of Light and the Children of Darkness, by Reinhold Niebuhr

Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville

Babette’s Feast, by Isak Dinesen

Politics, Morality, and Civility, by Václav Havel

How to be a Patriotic Christian

Life, Death, Poetry & Peace with Philip Yancey