Bridging the Divide: The Key to Preserving Our Society and Institutions
TL;DR In today’s increasingly polarized world, our most pressing challenges and opportunities demand pragmatism and compromise. Without these, the very fabric of our society and institutions risks unraveling. Addressing this issue is both deceptively simple and immensely challenging. Simple, because it doesn’t require fundamentally altering people’s core beliefs. Challenging, because human nature, our systems, and current incentives promote discord and polarization. Given the high stakes, it’s imperative that we dedicate our brightest minds to identifying and pursuing solutions.
The beauty of humanity lies in our diverse perspectives. This diversity fuels innovation and progress, as ideas compete in the marketplace of thought. We should celebrate this exchange, using it to stress-test our own views and confront our biases. Through this process, we can forge stronger, more nuanced perspectives.
A critical yet often overlooked reality is that on most issues, the majority of people fall somewhere between the two extremes. While the loudest voices may push us towards the edges, there is usually a silent majority that could find common ground around viable solutions. This holds true across a spectrum of controversial topics as noted below¹:
Throughout history, progress has been achieved when populations come together, find compromise, and push humanity forward. The alternative — a return to isolation and conflict — threatens to upend the world order that has allowed unprecedented human flourishing in recent centuries. For the United States, the erosion of our institutions and social cohesion would not only diminish our global leadership but also hinder our pursuit of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” for all Americans.
The explosion of content, fragmentation and customization of content, and rise of social media have resulted in increased misinformation and polarization. The system encourages controversy and creates belonging by vilifying others. Contrary to common perception, it is now counterintuitive and brave to be a moderate. It’s hard to be “boring” and “unsexy”, and pursue a path that gets you no attention and even keeps you outside your “tribe”, but it’s the way to achieve real progress and protect our society and institutions.
On the issues we care most deeply about, we reasonably tend to be loudest and most knowledgeable, but also most prone to bias and emotion. Furthermore, as we raise our voices and spend more time on the issue, we are pushed towards the extreme given the system’s incentives. As we navigate these issues, it’s crucial to remember:
1. Extreme positions are less likely to endure. Sustainable change often comes from building broad coalitions around centrist solutions.
2. Life is multifaceted. While we may feel strongly about certain issues, compromise is a better long-term strategy in a world of interconnected challenges, especially when viewpoints are not monolithic across groups.
3. The dynamics of polarization are similar across various unrelated issues. By committing to centrism and moderation, we can contribute to solving many seemingly intractable problems.
What can we do to combat the forces driving us apart?
1. Practice mindful media consumption — both quality and quantity. On the former, reducing our dependence on inflammatory content and seeking out responsible, nuanced sources. On the latter, recognizing the benefits of digital detoxes and less endless scrolling, short-form media consumption.
2. Support collective action approaches, such as developing educational curricula that teach critical thinking and responsible information consumption.
3. Embrace the complexity of the world, encouraging nuanced thinking, reserving “red lines” for truly fundamental issues and drawing them realistically and carefully.
4. Pressure social media platforms to adjust their algorithms to promote constructive dialogue over divisive content.
5. Support non-partisan think tanks and centrist organizations that elevate constructive voices.
6. Rebuild local, in-person communities that bring together people from diverse backgrounds and ideologies.
7. Fight the urge to counter extreme positions with counter-extreme positions, setting off a vicious cycle. To do this, we should conduct research on what truly shifts societal opinions in the long term, to inform more effective strategies for positive change.
8. Resist the urge to find common ground with those to the edges of our position. Seek to build alliances towards the center of our position.
We stand at a pivotal moment in human history. Harnessing the power of technology and building upon the post WWII order we can reach unimaginable human progress. Conversely, if we do not combat the forces of misinformation, information overload, and polarization we could destroy our civilization. As mundane as it may sound, the path forward lies in our ability to listen, compromise, and find common ground.
If you have any feedback or ideas, please reach out and share.
¹Most likely this distribution is normal, in which the case is even more obvious. But even if not, it’s hard to imagine a majority does not center within the fringes
