Ethics Research on Politics, Conflict, and Partisanship

Lots of groups focused on specific issues, like bias, civics curriculum, campaign finance reform, bipartisan think tanks and issue based efforts.

Bring it to the Table — looks very interesting. A Documentary associated with it.

Civil Politics - a group that Jonathan Haidt and Ravi Iyer at NYU. Drill down on "two recommendations".

Fostering Civil Discourse: How Do We Talk About Issues That Matter? This journal, published by Facing History and Ourselves, was very fascinating in regards to the authors opinions on how individuals can foster civil discourse and be equipped for these types of conversations. I thought that the idea mentioned in this article that these types of conversations are not difficult and society labels them but are just unpracticed. Lastly, I enjoyed that this journal talked about the importance of first examining our own beliefs and understanding that we do not have a neutral lens and must take ownership of our beliefs and ideas. https://www.facinghistory.org/sites/default/files/publications/Fostering_Civil_Discourse_2020_0.pdf

The Enemy's Gaze We talked a little bit earlier in the course about how trying to put yourself in someone else's shoes can be very helpful in understanding and humanizes people with opposing views. This article discusses a study that proves this. Using virtual reality that put participants in the environment/situation of a person with opposing political beliefs, softened their hostility toward that opposing group even months after the VR experiment was over. I found it interesting because it shows that even something as simple as VR technology can improve the heated political climate we're in now. https://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=14&sid=953e1de9-8629-4052-a6af-cfa6a9331f6c%40sdc-v-sessmgr02&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=138560269&db=a9h

2. Politics and voting - Lots of good research articles on how and why the US is polarized.

What are the Solutions to Political Polarization? This article did a great job of first identifying what causes political polarization and how to solve the problems it creates. While describing what drives political polarization, the article points out that the moral values involved in policies is a key reason, while stating that the free-will vs determinism argument is one of the values that is debated. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/what_are_the_solutions_to_political_polarization

A Case for Proportional Voting This article is written from the perspective of a conservative that believes the Republican Party doesn't adequately represent conservative values anymore. He's calling for proportional or preferential voting, in which voters can either rank candidates in order of preference or create nonpartisan primaries in which the top two finishers are nominated for the general election, irregardless of their party. It's his belief that this would create a more representative government. https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/the-case-for-proportional-voting

Why Are There Political Parties? This article breakdown where political parties came from and why we have them. I enjoy that this article addresses ways that the democratic and republican party are similar. The article also talks about how people also will vote based on their views of particular issues rather than their political party affiliation. https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-are-there-political-parties

Eight Ways Ranked Choice Voting Can Improve Voting and Elections This article contained a list of reasons as to why ranked choice voting would improve our political process and decrease political polarization. I personally am an advocate for ranked choice voting and this contained some ideas that I had never encountered before that help to support the position. https://campaignlegal.org/update/eight-ways-ranked-choice-voting-can-improve-voting-and-elections

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How to Deal With 'Values Conflict' by Russ Harris This resource provides ways to with value conflicts. First part of this article is discussing the difference between values, life domains and goals which often get confused with values. I especially like how part two and three give steps to dictating what the value conflicts are and ways to deal with the dilemma at hand. https://www.actmindfully.com.au/upimages/How_to_deal_with_values_conflicts_-_Russ_Harris.pdf

How Should Leaders Address Workplace Values Conflicts? This article talks about different conflicts that could occur in the workplace and how leaders should resolve these issues. One major issue that is common among the workplace is the use of new technology vs traditional ways. The article finishes off by saying "doing nothing is not an option" then talks about how leaders need to deal with conflicts with values. https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/2017/05/09/leaders-address-workplace-values-conflicts/

Embodied conflict: The neural basis of conflict and communication. This source explains the concepts of conflict and communication in terms of neural structures and reactions in the brain. This is interesting because it takes on a scientific view rather than a social one https://gonzaga.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=psyh&AN=2017-42563-000&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Conflict Management: Difficult Conversations with Difficult People This research shows conflict management strategies that have been proven to reduce conflict in the workplace, classes, etc. Training in conflict management increases teamwork, productivity and efficiency. A list of steps are given... for example, step 1 is to determine whether the conflict is even worth addressing. Most often, it is not. Step 2, analyze your own position. Gather all the information you can about your position and understand arguments against it before you engage in an argument. Steps go on and on, but I think workplaces should consider training their employees in this area. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3835442/

Active Non-violence as Conflict Resolution This article covers two non-violent ways of conflict resolution, one being individual nonviolent communication and the other being passive resistance. It then relates the two in an attempt to find a solution to successfully resolving conflict. I like that the article is making a point of nonviolence and is analyzing past events rather than just theories. https://gonzaga.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=phl&AN=PHL2166571&site=ehost-live&scope=site

The partisan brain: cognitive study suggests people on the left and right are more similar than they think This resource discusses cognitive rigidity and whether or not it is possible to combat this in a partisan brain. I liked this article because it addressed the idea of mental flexibility and its potential to help people switch between different styles of thinking. It's interesting to think that psychological exercises could help to prevent such an extremist society and change the partisan attitude that have become so socially acceptable. https://theconversation.com/the-partisan-brain-cognitive-study-suggests-people-on-the-left-and-right-are-more-similar-than-they-think-123578

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