The Democracy Group11 Mars 2024

Dr. Jonathan Haidt on After Babel: "The Fragmentation of Everything" | Village SquareCast

What if, at a pinnacle of our civilization’s technological achievement, everything just broke — the institutions we’ve come to rely upon in navigating a modern complex world, the shared stories that hold a large and diverse democratic republic together, and even a common language through which to navigate the rising tide of crisis. According to renowned social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt, this describes our current reality, one that he calls “After Babel.” In this new normal, we are scattered by a digital environment into feuding tribes that are governed by mob dynamics and driven by a minority of ideological outliers, made stupid at warp speed by group think, and — thanks to social media — armed with billions of metaphorical “dart guns” with which to immediately wound “the enemy” in ways that are hardly only metaphorical. What could go wrong?

Our very special guest, Dr. Jonathan Haidt, will delve into the profound impact of social media on democratic societies, dissecting the intricate web of challenges it poses to civic trust and civil discourse. Don’t miss this chance to hear from one of the foremost thought leaders of our time — one who has generously given his counsel to The Village Square, and countless efforts like ours — on this existential challenge of our time. Read Why the Past Ten Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid in The Atlantic and learn more about Dr. Haidt by clicking the MORE button, below.

The program includes a preview of Haidt’s highly anticipated upcoming book The Anxious Generation, available at the end of March. You’re not going to want to miss it.

Additional Information

The Democracy Group listener survey

The Village SquareCast Podcast

More shows from The Democracy Group

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(535)

One year on the job with the Mayor of Berkeley | Good Government

Enjoying the show? Subscribe to hear the rest of Good Government Show's episodes! 👉 Subscribe here: https://pod.link/1572871022 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for infor...

17 Juni 46min

How to Lead a Fast Growing City with Mayor Angela Birney | An Honorable Profession

Enjoying the show? Subscribe to hear the rest of An Honorable Profession episodes! 👉 Subscribe here: https://pod.link/1435970632 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for inf...

15 Juni 28min

What’s Wrong with Political Parties? | Politics in Question

Enjoying the show? Subscribe to hear the rest of Politics in Question's episodes! 👉 Subscribe here: https://pod.link/1470607073 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for infor...

10 Juni 50min

Climate Forward 2026: "Is There A Republican Way Forward?" | Let's Find Common Ground

Enjoying the show? Subscribe to hear the rest of Let's Find Common Ground's episodes! 👉 Subscribe here: https://pod.link/1511159051 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for i...

8 Juni 50min

How Student Podcasting Shapes Civic Storytelling | TDG Fellowship

How can podcasting strengthen democracy? In this collaborative panel from The Democracy Group and PBS Student Reporting Labs, student podcasters and journalists discuss civic storytelling, democratic ...

29 Maj 47min

Introducing The Separation of Pop and State: Cancel Culture, Smear Campaigns, and the Howard Dean Scream | TDG Fellowship

This week we bring you a special episode from Amelia Callahan, one of our 2026 Podcast Fellows. She introduces her new podcast, The Separation of Pop and State, which compares political and pop cultur...

27 Maj 36min

Introducing Democracy is Art: Athens to Broadway: A Sculpture of Democracy | TDG Fellowship

This week we bring you a special episode from Savannah Patterson-Case, one of our 2026 Podcast Fellows. Patterson introduces the show’s focus on how art and democracy intersect, arguing that art foste...

25 Maj 19min

Introducting The People’s Playbook: Ancient Athens and the First Democracy | TDG Fellowship

This week we bring you a special episode from Valerie Pastrana, one of our 2026 Podcast Fellows, who explores ancient Athens as the first democracy, asking where democracy came from, who invented it, ...

22 Maj 6min