Episode Details

Dr. John Vervaeke and guest Greg Thomas delve into the nuanced realm of 'Democracy as Antagonistic Cooperation' in the second installment of a captivating three-part series. Drawing parallels with jazz, Greg Thomas showcases how arts can lead to a deeper understanding and appreciation of democratic values. Dr. Vervaeke emphasizes the criticality of a shared cultural repertoire that trains cognition and shapes how democracy is internalized. They touch upon the often-overlooked interdependencies in politics, suggesting that opposing sides often complete each other, creating a holistic understanding. Greg Thomas brings forth the influence of Black Americans on democracy, given their unique sociocultural positioning. Topics span from the importance of humor in a democratic setup to the transformative virtues necessary for its functioning, marrying the worlds of art, music, and politics and offering a fresh perspective on the mechanics of democracy.

Resources:

Videos

• John Vervaeke: Democracy and the Relevance Realization of Distributed Cognition

Books

• Developmental Politics: How America Can Grow Into a Better Version of Itself - Steve McIntosh

• Civic Jazz: American Music and Kenneth Burke on the Art of Getting Along - Gregory Clark

• Zombies in Western Culture: A Twenty-First Century Crisis - John Vervaeke, Christopher Mastropietro, and Filip Miscevic

• The Courage to Be - Paul Tillich

• How Culture Works - Paul Bohannan

• Justice by Means of Democracy | Talking to Strangers: Anxieties of Citizenship since Brown v. Board of Education - Danielle Allen

• The Omni-Americans: Black Experience And American Culture | The Hero And the Blues - Albert Murray