Newcomer Eric Swalwell unseats incumbent Pete Stark
California’s 15th District race featured young newcomer and Democrat Eric Swalwell challenging the 39-year incumbent Democrat Pete Stark. It didn’t look too good for Swalwell – and even the Democratic...
View ArticlePhilosophy Talk asks: Is Democracy a Universal Value?
Americans value democracy, and expect others to value it. But is it a universal value? Does God, or rationality, or something very basic about human sensibility, dictate that states should be organized...
View ArticlePhilosophy Talk asks: How deep are the dysfunctions in American democracy?
Democratic systems of government are supposed to reflect the interests of ordinary citizens, and not some shadowy political elite. But more and more, we see the influence of big money and special...
View ArticlePhilosophy Talks asks: How does Propaganda work?
Governments and other political institutions employ propaganda to sway public opinion, instill ideas, and exert a degree of control over people. While totalitarian regimes have been known to do this...
View ArticleYour Call: Is this a democratic way to choose a President?
On the May 3rd edition of Your Call, we’ll have a conversation with Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig about the history of superdelegates and other issues impacting electoral democracy and...
View ArticlePhilosophy Talk asks about Radical Democracy
How cam we create a democracy that doesn't end up oppressing minorities and dissenters?
View ArticleYour Call: The state of U.S. democracy
On the July 28th edition of Your Call, we’ll discuss the health of American democracy.
View ArticleYour Call: Veterans put politicians to the test
On the August 3rd edition of Your Call, we’re talking about what happens to veterans once they return home.
View ArticleYour Call: Dog Whistle Politics, the coded language of race-baiting
On the September 15th edition of Your Call, Ian Haney López joins us to discuss his book Dog Whistle Politics: How Coded Racial Appeals Have Reinvented Racism and Wrecked the Middle Class .
View ArticlePhilosophy Talk: John Dewey and the Ideal of Democracy
John Dewey is regarded by some as the American philosopher.
View ArticleYour Call: Ralph Nader on Breaking Through Power
On the next Your Call, we’ll have a conversation with consumer advocate Ralph Nader about his new book Breaking Through Power: It’s Easier Than We Think.
View ArticlePhilosophy Talk: 2016 – The Examined Year
John and Ken present their annual look back at the ideas and events of the past year that have challenged our assumptions and made us think about things in new ways.
View ArticleTunisia's fledgling democracy, through the eyes of two young women
Tunisia stands alone among the nations that went through Arab Spring revolutions, in successfully forging and sustaining a democratic government after toppling a dictator.
View ArticleCity Visions: Restoring trust in the media in the “post-fact era”
Ethan Elkind and guests explore America's escalating distrust in the media. How are the economics of journalism, “fake news”, politicians and partisan news sources undermining our trust in the press?
View ArticlePhilosophy Talk: Habermas and Democracy
Could rational communication really be the foundation of democracy?
View ArticleYour Call: Immigration backlash challenges the fate of western democracy
What explains the rise of the right in countries that have historically been defenders of human rights and models of tolerance?
View ArticlePhilosophy Talk: When Democracies Torture
What's wrong with a little torture between sworn enemies? Audio File Edit | Remove Torture is prohibited under international law and is widely considered a human rights violation. But despite the fact...
View ArticlePhilosophy Talk: 2017 – The Examined Year
Because the un examined year is not worth reviewing.
View ArticlePhilosophy Talk: Edward Snowden and the Ethics of Whistleblowing
Is whistleblowing a matter of duty, or a matter of choice?
View ArticleSteve Almond dissects the "bad stories" that undermine America's democracy
On this edition of Your Call, we speak with Steve Almond about his new book Bad Stories: What the Hell Just Happened to Our Country .
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