Alice Fleerackers

"The good news is, we're not too dumb for democracy," David Moscrop told
a packed room of media, activists, book lovers, academics, and more.
"The bad news is, we're encouraged to be."

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On March 21, Moscrop celebrated the launch of his new book, *[Too Dumb
for
Democracy?](https://gooselane.com/products/too-dumb-for-democracy){rel="noreferrer noopener"
aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" target="_blank"}* (Goose Lane
Editions, 2019). In this compact volume, he distills lessons from
political science, psychology, and his own experiences as a political
theorist to explore why we make such irrational political
decisions---and how we can learn to make better ones. He also explains
why, "in an era overshadowed by income inequality, environmental
catastrophes, terrorism at home and abroad, and the decline of
democracy....the political decision-making process has never been more
important." Improving the way we make decisions, he argues, may be our
only hope for survival.

Moscrop has written about these issues before. His work has been
featured in outlets such as *Maclean's*, the *Washington Post*, and the
*National Post*, and he is a frequent guest on CBC radio, among other
programs.

But Moscrop does more than provide political commentary. He also
conducts research on democratic deliberation, political decision making,
and digital media---including a [study on political pundits' use of
Twitter](https://www.scholcommlab.ca/people-2/david-moscrop/){rel="noreferrer noopener"
aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" target="_blank"}, which he is working
on with the ScholCommLab.

We're excited to congratulate Moscrop on this accomplishment, and can't
wait to see what he has planned next.

**To find out more about** ***Too Dumb for Democracy?*****, visit [Goose
Lane Editions'
website](https://gooselane.com/products/too-dumb-for-democracy){rel="noreferrer noopener"
aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" target="_blank"}.**


“The good news is, we’re not too dumb for democracy,” David Moscrop told a packed room of media, activists, book lovers, academics, and more.

David Moscrop launches ‘Too Dumb for Democracy?’

![David
Moscrop](https://www.scholcommlab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/david-moscrop.jpeg){.size-full
.wp-image-885 .aligncenter loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="709"
height="461"
srcset="https://www.scholcommlab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/david-moscrop.jpeg 709w, https://www.scholcommlab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/david-moscrop-300x195.jpeg 300w"
sizes="(max-width: 709px) 100vw, 709px"}

[Why do we make bad political decisions, and how do we make better
ones?]{style="font-weight: 400;"}

[On Thursday, June 21, ScholCommLabber
]{style="font-weight: 400;"}[[David
Moscrop]{style="font-weight: 400;"}](https://www.scholcommlab.ca/people/david-moscrop/)[
will unpack these questions and more on the TEDxYYC stage. Drawing from
his own and others' research, as well as from his personal experiences
as a media commentator, he'll examine the way our current democratic
system functions---or, rather,
]{style="font-weight: 400;"}*[dysfunctions---]{style="font-weight: 400;"}*[and
how it could be improved in the future.  ]{style="font-weight: 400;"}

[To give you a taste of what to expect, we chatted with Moscrop about
his upcoming talk, the research that informed it, and the
struggle]{style="font-weight: 400;"}[s of not swearing on live
TV.]{style="font-weight: 400;"}

**The theme of your upcoming TEDx talk is "Are we too dumb for
democracy?" What got you interested in this topic?**

[Years ago I came across a book by the neuroscientist Antonio Damasio,
who wrote that social scientists need to understand brain and behaviour
to improve people's lives. That was enough for me. I look at a lot of
research and wonder what the point is. Maybe it'll go somewhere, maybe
it won't. And I get why we need to support research wherever it may go,
but I like to try to direct mine as much as I can towards producing
something that will improve some bit of someone's life. So, I wanted to
know whether and how we could make decisions individually and
collectively that empower people to get what they want based on
rationality and autonomy rather than buried impulses and whatever
they've been manipulated into thinking they wanted---whether by
politicians or business interests or
whomever.]{style="font-weight: 400;"}

**You're about to publish some very exciting** [**research about
political
pundits**](https://www.scholcommlab.ca/research/politcal-pundits/) **and
how---or perhaps whether---they share knowledge online. How will this
work inform your talk?**

[Part of making a good political decision is having good, reliable
information. And trustworthy information. Today, more than ever, there
are a lot of false or misleading "facts" out there. A lot. So knowing
that sometimes pundits rely on good academic information and share it
with the public is encouraging, even if they don't do it nearly often
enough. I'll be calling for more of that. The future of good political
decision making is partly contingent on researchers being able to
circulate their work. I'm slightly encouraged to see a new generation of
publicly engaged scholars emerging. I hope to see
more.]{style="font-weight: 400;"}

**You're an academic, but you're also a journalist and a media
commentator. How do you see your role(s) as a communicator?**

[I try to use my training to help give people some context for what's
going on and perhaps even some tools to think critically about who's
trying to get what and from whom. I also try to share research and
amplify the work of others. So, basically, I'm a loudspeaker. I try to
be accessible with my work and, to the extent that it's possible,
entertaining. You educate folks while also entertaining them if you have
the guts to loosen your collar for a few minutes. It helps that I don't
care if I ever get a permanent academic job, because I can say whatever
I want without too much concern.]{style="font-weight: 400;"}

::: {.perfect-pullquote .vcard .pullquote-align-right .pullquote-border-placement-left}
> [ "I try to be accessible with my work and, to the extent that it's
> possible, entertaining. You educate folks while also entertaining them
> if you have the guts to loosen your collar for a few
> minutes." ]{style="font-weight: 400;"}
:::

**Do you consider** ***yourself*** **to be a political pundit?**

[For better or for worse, technically that's what I am! It's a fun gig.
I get to share my thoughts with the world and get paid for it. Then I
get criticized and even name-called by anonymous bozos, which always
reveals something about the human condition. But best of all, the gig
forces me to be clear and concise and real, which is something many
academics could learn to do better. ]{style="font-weight: 400;"}

[Not that you asked, but for what it's worth, the hardest part of the
job is not swearing on live TV or radio. With the current state of
things, I'm always a syllable away from saying something I'd
regret.]{style="font-weight: 400;"}

**What do you hope to leave TEDx audiences with?**

[Very simply: ]{style="font-weight: 400;"}*[You
]{style="font-weight: 400;"}*[can---or perhaps "You
]{style="font-weight: 400;"}*[can"]{style="font-weight: 400;"}*[---make
good political decisions, and it's important that you do, since the
future of democracy may depend upon it. Now, let's have a good old chat
about how individuals can get better at that, and how governments can
and must support these efforts by offering opportunities for meaningful
engagement that produce outcomes that
matter.]{style="font-weight: 400;"}

***David Moscrop's talk takes place on Thursday, June 21, 2018. For more
information, visit the* *TEDxYYC website*.**


Why do we make bad political decisions, and how do we make better ones? On Thursday, June 21, ScholCommLabber David Moscrop will unpack these questions and more on the TEDxYYC stage. Drawing from his own and others’ research, as well as from his personal experiences as a media commentator, he’ll examine the way our current democratic system functions—or, rather,
<em>
 dysfunctions—
</em>
and how it could be improved in the future.

Messages de Rogue Scholar

David Moscrop launches ‘Too Dumb for Democracy?’

Preview: David Moscrop at TEDxYYC