AMC for Michael Fuerstein's Experiments in Living Together

Alex Madva (California State Polytechnic University, Pomona), Michael Fuerstein (St. Olaf College), Susan Dieleman (University of Lethbridge)

Author Meets Critics: Michael Fuerstein’s Experiments in Living Together: How Democracy Drives Social Progress Wednesday, June 18th at 5:00 PM EDT

Over the past 70 years, the United States has undergone major moral shifts surrounding gender, sexual orientation, and race. Although these changes have been incomplete and imperfect, they nonetheless represent stunning improvements in the human condition which have been supported by democracy. While on its face democratic governance embodies the promise of protest, free expression, and social change, the recent surge of populism has provoked some cynicism about democracy and the potential ignorance and irrationality of democratic citizens. This debate raises questions around the role of democracy in social progress, democracy's definitive principles and ideals, and the tension between democracy's characteristic aspirations and the disappointing realities of real-world politics.

In Experiments in Living Together (Oxford: 2024) Michael Fuerstein addresses these questions, presenting a fresh philosophical account of social progress that focuses on democracy and delivering an innovative rebuttal to skeptics inspired by the recent populist wave. Following in the tradition of John Dewey, he argues that democracy enables progress through "experiments in living": innovations in social practice that transform social emotions and identities and cultivate moral learning.

Join us for a discussion of the book featuring Fuerstein, Susan Dieleman and Alex Madva.