Miscellaneous
Can the Center Hold in the age of Cable News and Social Media? This week's panel (Jeff, Jerad, Jim, and Greg) bemoans the state of political debate in the age of cable news and social media. Greg describes the forces that pull the new media to the extremes at the expense of the middle. Jim and Jerad discuss the philosophical implications of the modern media world - can argument produce synthesis or does it just push people away? Jeff argues that the ambiguity of language is a powerful tool that most people use without knowing it, and that they trap themselves into artificially rigid positions. Greg concludes by going (or trying to go) positive, arguing that Americans will get practical when they need to, Jim predicts we will muddle through, and Jerad thinks it needs to get worse before it gets better.