Virtue signaling is designed to communicate specifically to one partisan tribe and to affirm its moral superiority. A scholar of ethics and politics explains why that is unwelcome in a divided US.
The US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on June 27, 2022.
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Unlike in most countries, US Supreme Court justices enjoy life tenure. Some legal scholars believe that centuries-old custom, meant to protect judicial independence, no longer serves the public.
A 1973 photo shows an estimated 5,000 people, women and men, marching around the Minnesota Capitol building protesting the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision.
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A historian explains why the pre-Roe anti-abortion movement was filled with liberal Democrats who opposed the Vietnam War and supported the expansion of the welfare state.
Temporary security fencing surrounds the U.S. Supreme Court building, ahead of its decision on abortion.
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State supreme courts have a relatively low profile in the US. That’s going to change now that they will be under political pressure to decide whether abortion is protected in state constitutions.
Those with different perspectives don’t have to butt heads.
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Talking with people who hold different political views doesn’t have to be an exercise in futile rage. Here are some tips to help you peacefully and fruitfully discuss spicy topics.
The more politicized an issue, the harder it is for people to absorb contradictory evidence.
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Whether in situations relating to scientific consensus, economic history or current political events, denialism has its roots in what psychologists call ‘motivated reasoning.’
Conservative skeptics of climate change may support projects focused on ‘resilience’ – for example, preparing a community for future major weather events.
It’s difficult to measure media bias.
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On Monday, the US Supreme Court announced that it would hear a case on gerrymandering in Wisconsin. We dive into the research on this controversial practice.
Research shows that regular ethics training helps.
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Ethical dilemmas arise not because someone did not know the ethical rules. Instead, they arise when individuals are unable to identify the relevant ethical principle at the time of crisis.
Managing Director of the McCourtney Institute of Democracy, Associate Research Professor, Political Science, Co-host of Democracy Works Podcast, Penn State
Lecturer in Executive Education; Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Communication Studies from Louisiana State University, University of Texas at Dallas