Debating Debates: The Intersection of Language, Culture, and Politics

Did you catch the first Republican presidential debate last week? Full disclosure: I didn't watch it, but it got me thinking -- in a two-party system when the political spectrum has become so polarized, are debates still a necessary part of our election process? In this episode, we discuss the nature of language and communication, the ways we express ourselves as a culture, and how the culture drives our nation's politics.

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SOURCES

SOCRATES

Socratic Questions, University of Connecticut Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning

The Socratic Method, University of Chicago

PHILOSOPHER KINGS

Plato’s Argument for Rule by Philosopher Kings

Duncan, C. M., & Steinberger, P. J. (1990). Plato’s Paradox? Guardians and Philosopher-Kings. The American Political Science Review, 84(4), 1317–1322. https://doi.org/10.2307/1963266

KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: GOP Debate Showed How Not to Pick a President

RICHARD DAWKINS

How can we have a proper debate when we no longer speak the same language?

CICERO

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

The Death of Cicero, University of Chicago

Marcus Tullius Cicero, Princeton University Press

The Cicero Homepage, University of Texas at Austin

BERNAYS

Propaganda, by Edward Bernays; introduction by Mark Crispin Miller

The manipulation of the American mind: Edward Bernays and the birth of public relations

Edward L. Bernays interview, 1986-10-23, Ball State University Library

Pioneer, Edward Bernays, The Museum of Public Relations

Freud's Nephew and the Origins of Public Relations

Edward Bernays, 'Father of Public Relations' And Leader in Opinion Making, Dies at 103