January 2020

Saving democracy by talking about it

In a time when many people are getting all of their news from one polarized, personalized information feed or another, it’s interesting to see how [low-tech 1930s solutions helped save democracy then](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/02/03/the-last-time-democracy-almost-died). The core elements were ways to get people talking about the real issues instead of the tribes they associated with. > The more…more

January 28, 2020 - Decisions, Politics, Sociology

How to read hard books

[A thoughtful framework for reading and understanding deeply](https://www.bradford-delong.com/2019/12/a-note-on-reading-big-difficult-books.html) from Brad DeLong. First, get prepared: Figure out beforehand what the author is trying to accomplish in the book. Orient yourself by becoming the kind of reader the book is directed at—the kind of person with whom the arguments would resonate. During and after reading, try to…more

January 9, 2020 - Education, Memory, Psychology