Why the presumption of good faith can make our lives civil again
Taking time for thoughtful consideration has fallen out of fashion, writes Emily Chamlee-Wright. How can we restore good faith and good judgement to our increasingly polarized conversations?
- The clamor of the crowd during a heated discussion can make it hard to tell who is right and who is wrong. Adam Smith wrote that the loudness of blame can stupefy our good judgment.
- Equally, when we're talking with just one other person, our previous assumptions and knee-jerk reactions can cloud our good judgment.
- If you want to find clarity in moments like that, Emily Chamlee-Wright recommends practicing the presumption of good faith. That means that we should presume, unless we have good evidence to the contrary, that the other person's intent is not to deceive or to offend us, but to learn our point of view.
5 lessons we can all learn from the coronavirus crisis
Sometimes the best way to make changes is when you're in the middle of a challenging time.
- While no one knows the future, implementing lifestyle changes now can prepare you for returning to a post-coronavirus society.
- Boredom has long been a powerful catalyst for creativity and should not be viewed in the negative.
- Spending more time in the kitchen, walking, and being more thoughtful online can be practiced right now.
Only a fifth of countries provide sick pay — the big challenges for work in a pandemic
From a personal point of view and from an economic point of view, this is nothing short of potentially disastrous for people's livelihoods.
Making sure that sick people get the care they need and don't infect others is one of the key planks of containing COVID-19 - but the majority of the world's workers have little choice about putting in a shift, even if they feel unwell.
'Universal basic income is a brilliant idea'. Here's why.
The welfare state is broken. UBI is the smarter, more effective option.
- The welfare state is an ineffective and expensive system that hurts and targets the poor more than it helps. Universal basic income is a better alternative that could work.
- The question becomes, then, where would the money for UBI come from? There are a myriad of reasons why UBI via taxes would be a bad idea. Instead, we should look to socially produced capital.
- Companies rely on people to be successful, so a percentage of all shares of all companies should go into a public equity trust and the dividends should be distributed to every member of society equally.
People who see God as a white man tend to prefer white men for leadership positions
Participants were also more likely to see God as old than young, and male rather than female.
When you picture God, who do you see: a young black woman, or an old white man? Chances are it's the latter — and a new study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology suggests that that image has its consequences.
