Not very much I’m afraid.

I think rhetoric is used more than reason!

Rhetoric is the writing or speaking that appeals to the emotions, lacking in sincerity and meaningful content.

THIS IS THE WORLD TODAY:

Small wars happen all over the world frequently.

Terrorism springs up everywhere.

Migrants and refuges seek refuge in different countries.

Poverty, inequality and racism are rampant.

Health costs increase yearly.

Climate change keeps gaining on us.

People are living longer but social care is worsening.

Politicians concentrate on their careers and egos instead of on the good of the people.

Overpopulation, due to migration is over stretching infrastructure.

Because of the huge scale of these problems we need worldwide cooperation.

But little gets done when so much is at stake!

Politicians dicker among themselves instead of cooperating.

They add to the problems instead of solving them.

The technology (social media, twitter) makes it easier for people to attack ideas quickly.

Rhetoric reigns.

Reason receives little attention.

Politicians don’t try to understand each other because they see no political gain for themselves,

So cooperation is put aside and NO progress is made.

People. and politicians assume that REASONING won’t do any good because their opponents are only driven by emotions–fear, anger, hatred, greed, etc.

As a result of the “do nothing, no reasoning political climate, elections are decided by who gets out the most voters by rhetoric, rousing slogans and accusations instead of cooperation and understanding and who gives the strongest reasons for their policies.

WHAT TO DO?

We need to use rhetoric less and question more.

What kind of questions?

Why we believe what we do?

How our solutions would work?

We need to ask each other for REASONS.

How do reasons and arguments increase understanding?

When I give a reason to justify my claim, my reason helps you understand why I believe my claim is true.

When you give me a reason for your claim, that reason helps me understand why you believe your claim.

Now when we do the above, we still might continue to disagree, but we will understand each other better.

Misunderstanding can lead to mistrust and contempt for reasoning and good argument.

This contempt causes the problem of polarisation, dividing two or more groups that have different opinions.

So lets get rid of those put-downs, abuse and accusations and replace them with more engagement with the problems.

We need serious attempts to REASON together and understand each other.

HELP! I’M IN A POLITICAL RUT, GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!