Truth and Polarization
Abstract
This is an edited transcript of a panel discussion from VICTR’s 2020 Speaker Series. Truth is under significant threat. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 US Presidential election, we face the very real danger of different perceived ‘realities’ emerging, where there is little common ground. The polarization that threatens to emerge endangers the democratic institutions of the United States, not to mention the lives of its people. The panelists discuss the problem of truth and polarization: what is the problem, exactly how serious is it, and what might we do to try to fix it?