Episode 69: Political Ideology
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Looking Outside is for curious people looking for a fresh take on familiar topics, in business and beyond.
Today we’re going to get a little political, without the hostility. We’re exploring the bias, misrepresentation and dangers that come with ascribing to the ‘left wing’ and ‘right wing’ political spectrum. Political scientist, professor in political and constitutional studies, and co-author of ‘The Myth of Left and Right’ Verlan Lewis joins us to debunk the essentialist theory behind the left/right concept. While it's still a fairly young idea, Verlan stresses how it is increasingly harmful, by creating a false narrative of division that kills humility and perpetuates self-righteousness. “Don’t talk about politics at the dinner table” (or in business) is what we often hear, but Verlan says we need more, not less, moderate and civil discourse on political issues, without the damaging rhetoric that comes with left/right ideologies.
To look outside, Verlan gets outside and into his neighborhood and local community. His work aiding those in his church congregation allows him to meet new people with different world perspectives and backgrounds, and to help them out in small or big ways.
Verlan Lewis is the Stirling Professor of Constitutional Studies at Utah Valley University and a senior fellow in Constitutional Studies at the Jack Miller Center.
His writing has been published by The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Political Science Quarterly, Studies in American Political Development, Presidential Studies Quarterly, Perspectives on Political Science, and The Forum, among others.
He teaches courses on American political thought, American political development, and American political institutions. He earned graduate degrees from Cambridge University and the University of Virginia, and he has held academic fellowships at Stanford University and Harvard University.
Buy The Myth of Left and Right book via Oxford Press or Amazon
Read more of Verlan's research on Google Scholar
Check out Verlan's appearance on the Future Tense podcast appearance
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