Empathy and Democracy: Feeling, Thinking, and Deliberation

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Penn State Press, 2010 - Philosophy - 221 pages
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Democracy harbors within it fundamental tensions between the ideal of giving everyone equal consideration and the reality of having to make legitimate, binding collective decisions. Democracies have granted political rights to more groups of people, but formal rights have not always guaranteed equal consideration or democratic legitimacy.

It is Michael Morrell&’s argument in this book that empathy plays a crucial role in enabling democratic deliberation to function the way it should. Drawing on empirical studies of empathy, including his own, Morrell offers a &“process model of empathy&” that incorporates both affect and cognition. He shows how this model can help democratic theorists who emphasize the importance of deliberation answer their critics.

 

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User Review  - LeeCheek - LibraryThing

Writing within the political tradition of contemporary liberalism, but offering insights of enduring importance on the value of empathy to democratic thought, Morrell (Univ. of Connecticut) attempts ... Read full review

Contents

1 The Democratic Promise
1
2 The Deliberative Turn in Democrative Theory
18
3 The Elusive Concept of Empathy
39
4 Empathy in Deliberative Theory
67
5 Empathys Importance The Empirical Evidence
101
6 Deliberative Democracy and its Critics
129
7 Empathy and Democracy
158
References
197
Index
211
Back Cover
223
Copyright

Other editions - View all

Empathy and Democracy: Feeling, Thinking, and Deliberation
Michael E. Morrell
Limited preview - 2010
Empathy and Democracy: Feeling, Thinking, and Deliberation
Michael E. Morrell
Limited preview - 2010

Common terms and phrases

a¤ective accept action allow appears argues arguments attention attitudes attributions behavior believe calls citizens claims cognitive collective communication concept concern critics decision-making decisions deliberation deliberative democracy deliberative theory democratic demonstrate developed deWned deWnition di¤erent disagreement discourse discussion e¤ects Einfühlung emotional engage equal consideration evaluations evidence example experiences expressions feelings focus follow forms give given Habermas human important increase indicates individual instructions interests involves issues judgment justice lead least legitimacy legitimate limited majority means moral motivated mutual necessary norms object occur original outcomes participants particular passion person perspective political position possibility practice principle problem process model process of empathy projection provides public reason rational Rawls reason reciprocity recognize rely represent requires respect response result reXective rhetoric role role taking similar situation social society speciWc studies subjects sympathy taking tend theorists tion tive understanding validity values

About the author (2010)

Michael E. Morrell is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Connecticut.

Bibliographic information

QR code for Empathy and Democracy
TitleEmpathy and Democracy: Feeling, Thinking, and Deliberation
AuthorMichael E. Morrell
Editionillustrated
PublisherPenn State Press, 2010
ISBN0271036591, 9780271036595
Length221 pages
Subjects ›  › 

Philosophy / Political
Political Science / American Government / General
Political Science / History & Theory
Political Science / Political Ideologies / Democracy
  
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