Constructive Conflict Massive Open Online Seminar (MOOS)

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The MOOS is an online exploration of the tough challenges raised by the
Constructive Conflict Initiative 

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Additional Posts

Lists of these recent posts plus additional posts are available separately for each BI Section:
Things You Can Do To Help | Conflict Frontiers | Conflict Fundamentals
Beyond Intractability in Context | Colleague Activities

 

  • A Third Party Won't Save Us -- We need to be realistic about the challenges which must be overcome before a more compromise-oriented political party might be a viable option. #mbi_context -- Sep 23
  • The Danger of Fact-ist Politics -- Amid all of our worries about misinformation, an argument that we also want to worry about those who are absolutely convinced that they are right. #mbi_context -- Sep 22
  • Liberal Democracy Is Worth a Fight -- For those willing to consider uncomfortable ideas, an argument that, sometimes, vigorous defense and military solutions may needed. #mbi_context -- Sep 22
  • Mob Justice Is Trampling Democratic Discourse -- In-depth profiles of the way in which, without any semblance of due process, "cancel culture" condemnations ruin people's lives. #mbi_context -- Sep 22
  • How Science Explains Why Some Politicians Are Jerks -- An investigation into the important, but mysterious, dynamics that tend to give as leaders who are cruel and aggressive. #mbi_context -- Sep 21
  • Kais Saied Is Not a Dictator -- An update on Tunisia, the one place where the promise of the Arab Spring is still alive and flourishing. #mbi_context -- Sep 21
  • Penal Abolition 2021 -- From the Canadian Friends Service Committee, an infographic explaining why we need to abolish prisons--and how to do it. #mbi_colleague -- Sep 21
  • How ‘Woke’ Became an Insult -- An in-depth exploration of how the language swirling around efforts to promote "social justice" evolves over time. #mbi_context -- Sep 21
  • The Overton Window -- An interesting framework for thinking about what social and political reforms are and are not likely to be realistic and feasible. #mbi_context -- Sep 20
  • The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Demoracy -- Conversations and research, grounded in facts and evidence, focused on decoupling hardened policy positions from blind partisanship.      #mbi_colleague -- Sep 20
  • Some Principles & Observations About Social Justice Politics -- A provocative essay that can help us all reflect on and more sensibly evaluate the many controversies swirling around social justice politics. #mbi_context -- Sep 20
  • Behind the Surprising Jump in Multiracial Americans, Several Theories -- Hopeful news that, at the individual level, many more people do not feel constrained by racial boundaries. #mbi_context -- Sep 20
  • Stop Celebrating Death -- Schadenfreude is a gateway to dehumanization and hate. We can challenge those whose views we disagree with without viewing them with contempt and disgust. -- Sep 19
  • A Palestinian Activist Fights the IDF and the Palestinian Authority -- An interesting profile of a Palestinian activist who is challenging the many things that both sides are doing to contribute to the problem. #mbi_context -- Sep 19
  • Bridge Alliance Podcasts -- Two episodes so far highlight how Bridge Alliance members bring diverse communities together. #mbi_colleague -- Sep 19
  • Why Don’t They Believe Us? -- An explanation of why people aren't following the experts' advice to get vaccinated and a window into what experts need to do to gain the public's trust. #mbi_context -- Sep 19
  • Adversarial Collaboration Project -- An especially promising project that helps those involved in scientific debates work through their differences in a spirit of collaborative learning. #mbi_colleague -- Sep 16
  • The case against crisis-mongering -- A long and surprisingly persuasive argument that things aren't as bad as we think and that our doom-and-gloom worldview is an overreaction. #mbi_context -- Sep 16
  • Carbon Costs Quantified -- A fascinating and often surprising table highlighting the carbon costs of various activities. #mbi_context -- Sep 16
  • An undeclared war is breaking out in cyberspace. The Biden administration is fighting back. -- An update on the ongoing war in cyberspace and hopeful news that effective steps are being taken to curtail hostilities before they get out of control. #mbi_context -- Sep 16
  • The Performative Antiracism of Black Students at the U. of Wisconsin -- A textbook demonstration of the difference between sincere activism and playacting. #mbi_context -- Sep 15
  • James Baldwin’s Radicalism -- One of America’s most perceptive writers rejected the politics of division. He has much to teach us about race and injustice today. #mbi_context -- Sep 15
  • Civil Squared -- Getting un-likeminded people talking again because that’s how, together, we’ll create the most effective solutions to the challenges our communities face. #mbi_colleague -- Sep 15
  • This Is No Way to Rule a Country -- A look at the chasm between the way that US democracy is supposed to function, the contemporary reality, and a cry for reform. #mbi_context -- Sep 15
  • The New Puritans -- Social codes are changing, in many ways for the better. But for those whose behavior doesn’t adapt fast enough to the new norms, judgment can be swift—and merciless. #mbi_context -- Sep 14

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