Echo chambers, polarization and “post-truth” politics are destroying rational debate. Can democracy survive? The solution, it’s often claimed, is to reaffirm our commitment to Truth, Reason and Objective Reality, as bulwarks against disinformation spread by figures like Donald Trump. But it’s a fantasy to think this might work, argues Chris Voparil. Instead, we must focus on rebuilding emotional bonds with those with whom we disagree, to create the right environment for productive debate and the emergence of agreement. Democracy in crisisPolitical discourse, in the U.S. and elsewhere, is in a state of acute disrepair approaching utter dysfunction. Tribalism has become the norm and is further entrenched daily. Divides between political opponents have grown so wide as to render group identities unbridgeable chasms that none dare cross. And a post-truth or post-fact milieu has ushered in Orwellian dynamics where each side not only lays cla…
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