Democracy Café

The road to responsible and involved citizenship was not a straight one for Dennis Dienst, our Democracy Cafe nonprofit board chair. Over 32 years ago, Dennis overcame drug and alcohol addiction to become not only an accomplished professional, but an involved and active citizen who comes "from a place of knowledge and of heart." In this podcast, recorded at a pretty noisy restaurant on the day of the Vikings-Eagles playoff game (Dennis lives in the Twin Cities and couldn't bear to watch :), Dennis shares his rich philosophy of life and living and doing, and how his experiences were the driving force that led him to become so dedicated to helping others -- including countless youth he worked with for 18 years -- become all they can be, and as a result, help society become all it can be. Listen in.

David Storey, Assistant Professor of the Practice of Philosophy at Boston College, is my kind of philosopher -- an accomplished scholar and dynamic teacher who also is dedicated to bringing philosophy to the public. Indeed, David asserts, if the profession of philosophy wants to survive, let alone grow and flourish, it needs to diversity its portfolio. And he think that philosophy, whose roots were outside the academy, "bolsters the profession if more people see effective, useful rewarding applications of philosophy," from Socrates Cafe to philosophical counseling, to ethics consulting with tech companies. "This adds to the value of academic philosophy,' he maintains. Listen in to this thoughtful exchange with David. (Be sure to check out his website at DavidEStorey.com)

Ethan Randleas is one of six teenagers vying to be the next governor of Kansas. Ethan -- whose campaign website is https://ethanrandleas.com/about/ -- is running as a Libertarian candidate. Ethan insists he's not doing this for any sort of any gimmicky reasons, nor that he is tilting at windmills, but that he aims to be elected governor out of the genuine belief that he can best represent and realize the needs and aspirations of his fellow Kansans. Listen in. [And thanks as always to our engineer and editor Odin Halverson, website OdinHalvorson.com for his invaluable help.]

Peter Atwater, a sought after financial consultant, and author of the acclaimed book 'Moods and Markets,' believes that moods drive the market rather than the other way around. Right now, Americans are at an ebb in confidence. And yet, he asserts what FDR did -- namely that 'the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.' To Peter -- a fellow William & Mary graduate who now teaches there, and whose commentary frequently appears on CNBC, Bloomberg, in Wall Street Journal, TIME, and Financial Times (among others) -- the challenge in times of low confidence, is to recognize that our craving for certainty and control is innately biological and impacts our cognitive capabilities in helping people help each other, in those moments of great despair, to be hopeful and confident. Listen in to Peter's array of keen and entwined financial and sociopolitical insights.' (Peter's website is Financial-Insyghts.com)

David Palumbo-Liu, a respected Stanford University professor and scholar, is caught in the vortex of a Kafkesque predicament; he's accused by right-wing media outlets of being part of a 'terrorist group' because he helped organize the Campus Anti-Fascist Network (http://campusantifascistnetwork.com/) which in point of fact aims "to stem the rise of fascism" and "to stand with threatened members of our campus communities and oppose fascist mobilizations." David has received death threats since this orchestrated deliberate smear campaign, but amazingly maintains his equanimity. On our podcast, he thoughtfully explores with me how this nightmarish turn of events came to pass, what this says about the state and straits of our open society today, but also what we the people can do to staunch this latest rising tide of McCarthyism in an era in which social media can spread demonizing misinformation like wildfire. Listen in.

Steve Lambert, co-founder with Steve Duncombe of the Center for Artistic Activism (artisticactivism.org), believes that art and artistry have an unrivaled role to play in ending oppression, sparking greater equality, and making ours more a world in which we all can live with leisure and joy. We can quibble over the details of how we best accomplish this, but Steve believes that most people -- even those who might be considered 'the opposition' -- want to achieve this. But first, he maintains, we have to be able to imagine such a world. And that's where the Center for Artistic Activism comes in. Listen in (and also be sure to check out Steve's personal website at VisitSteve.com, as well as that of Stephen Duncombe at StephenDuncombe.com)

Steve Hornsby, one of my best and oldest friends (since at least 1975), is as young at heart, entrepreneurial and democratic in spirit, as they come. If you wanted to engage in great Socratic conversation, and absorb the best in family values, his home in Newport News, Virginia, was the go-to place in my youth. All of those in the Hornsby family I have had the privilege to know have met with unique forms of success (including their cousin, the musician Bruce Hornsby) over the years. As the founder and indefatigable organizer of the enormously successful College Prep Golf Tour (CollegePrepGolfTour.com), Steve has filtered his passion for golf and entrepreneurialism into a most unique venture that has changed so many young lives for the better -- and it all started because, as a dedicated dad first and foremost, he wanted to create something special for his amazingly talented son. Listen in.

Charles Massiatte, founder of New Scholars of Texas (scholarsoftexas.org), soon to be a graduate of Harvard Extension School, and an associate at Martin Capital Advisors, strives to mitigate socioeconomic equality and eradicate 'this huge yawning chasm between people who have way too much and people who don't have sufficient for human flourishing'. One essential way to do that, he believes, is to ask and explore questions (and in a Socratic way at that) that can serve to help close that gap. Listen in as Charles shares with us his varied yet entwined ideas and approaches (including Universal Basic Income, decentralized autonomous organization) for making ours more a world in which every one has a chance to contribute meaningfully and to realize her higher aspirations.

Hadi Alshaikhnasser is the founder and coordinator of a thriving Socrates Cafe in a place you might like least expect it to take hold -- Saihat, Saudi Arabia. He first became smitten with Socrates Cafe when, as a medical school student, he attended regularly the gathering in Montclair, New Jersey -- the very first one I ever established, way back in 1996, and meets weekly to this day. After then founding a group of his own in Omaha, Nebraska while on fellowship there, when Hadi returned to Saudi Arabia, he decided that Socrates Cafe should be a community staple there -- and that's precisely what has happened. Listen in as Hadi stirringly describes the wondrous kinds of transformations that happen as a result of inquiring regularly (and philosophically) the Socrates Cafe way. Hadi, for one, has come to be much more accepting of others, thanks to Socrates Cafe, because of the unparalleled opportunity it gives one to understand why others are coming from where they're coming from. 'We all probably want the same

How do we raise children who reflect the best of us -- and how can they, in a sense, help raise us so we continue to grow as humans? No one on this planet better to pose such a question to than Meghan Leahy, immensely popular and acclaimed essayist for the Washington Post's 'On Parenting' column, and a much in-demand parent coach (her website is https://www.mlparentcoach.com/ ). Meghan has a gift for shifting one's entire outlook on what parenting can be all about -- 'always knowing what I don't know,' as she put it' Socratically -- redirecting from one of 'issues' that one needs to tackle to simply looking at things with deeper lenses of understanding and empathy, and recognizing there are no easy answers. Listen in.

Odin Halvorson is the epitome of an enlightened generalist -- open, honest, impassioned, curious, imbued with social and politic conscience, civically involved and dedicated to bringing together diverse Americans. Odin started a thriving Democracy Cafe in Sebastopol, CA, as an antidote to today's polemical polarization. Listen in as he discusses the transformative potential of the kind of inquiry he embraces, one that requires immersive listening and that can enable us to connect with the very different needs and emotions of diverse others, without ever considering them 'the other.' Be sure to check out the website of Odin -- http://www.odinhalvorson.com/ -- a portal to the wonderful works and deeds of this exceptional young writer, filmmaker, philosopher, geek

Chris McGown, an accomplished consultant and Divisional Director of Communications and Donor Engagement for The Salvation Army’s Kentucky/Tennessee Division, was in the thick of things during Hurricane Harvey. Though the ongoing relief effort was exhausting, he felt blessed as he thought of his family safe and sound back home. His aim throughout his professional life has been to make the world a better place not just for his own children, but all children. Chris gently and compellingly challenges a lot of the received wisdom about charitable giving. With his ear to the ground like few others, you'll likely find, as I did, that Chris's insights ring true. Be sure also to check out the blog of this exceptional listener, thinker and doer: http://clmcgown.com/blog/blog/

No one I've had the privilege to know and collaborate with speaks more eloquently and passionately about our nation's successful and durable Constitution than Jeffrey Rosen, President and CEO of the National Constitution Center (ConstitutionCenter.org), where I had the high honor of serving as a Senior Educational Fellow. Listen in as Jeff, a preeminent scholar, educator, author, essayist and commentator on legal affairs, shares his perspective on what we all should know about our Constitution in particular, and the American system of governance in general -- and how we might best go about exploring, debating, discussing vital and pressing constitutional matters with one another today. Also be sure to check out Jeff's new book, out in March, on William Howard Taft, the only person to serve as both president and chief justice, that's part of the American Presidents Series.

How is our longtime Socrates Cafe endeavor a vital way to advance our democracy within our military? Captain Alex Carlier of the U.S. Army can tell you firsthand. He was inspired by my works and deeds to hold Socrates Cafes on a regular basis not only at his current base in Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, but where he was stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq. As you'll hear, there is considerable background noise as he and I talk, because Captain Carlier is actually at a cafe (how apropos is that :) -- but his eloquent message comes through loud and clear. Here's the message he sent to me nine months ago: Dr. Phillips, Thank you for your work towards improving democracy and healthy dialogue throughout the world. I am a company commander in the U.S. Army, and I started hosting Socrates Café dialogues with my junior leaders weekly while we were deployed to Iraq. One intriguing discussion took place when a platoon leader posed the question, “Are we storm troopers?” These have been important dialogues mainly focused

When I first met Nahui Ludekens many moons ago in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, she was doing impressive work as a photographer and with Gravity Works, an aerial acrobatic dance company. Now Nahui, who has dual Mexican-Australian citizenship, is back in Australia (where I earned my PhD), or Oz, as a college student, and is a very involved and committed political activist. On this podcast, we explore the process and events that led to this amazing young person's keen and abiding social and political consciousness and activism. Nahui and I also juxtapose and explore the political climate in Australia in comparison to that of Mexico and the U.S., and the relative ability to effect change in Australia's system of governance and civic participation versus that of these other two putatively democratic nations. Nahui's nonpareil civic spirit is contagious and inspiring. Listen in.

How does the 'democracy game' (as New Yorker editor David Remnick put it in an essay) drive the money game (the title of a famous book by Adam Smith) in general and the stock market game in particular? How are they entwined, and where might they part company? How can a certain kind of market economy contribute to democratic vibrancy? No one better to ask than Paul Martin, Managing Partner of Martin Capital Advisors (MartinCapital.com). And no better day than his birthday to air this podcast. Paul is deeply involved in the civic sphere, serving on 18 (count 'em, 18) nonprofit boards, including Democracy cafe.

To the extent that citizens don't care for and about one another, and don't have one another's backs, can a supposedly democratic country really be said to be 'democratic'? High school senior and all-around thoughtful and engaged democratic citizen Skyler Fredson is living right now in a small city in Belgium while taking part in an exchange program for the academic year. Now that he has several months under his belt residing in Belgium with a host family and observing the ins and outs of everyday life, and academic life, I've been wondering how, in Skyler's estimation, their democracy compares with ours.

The military-industrial complex is growing at a rampant and exponential pace, sensible gun safety measures remain ever elusive, and Americans are more polarized than ever. Not only that, there seem to be deliberate efforts by those at the top of the Executive Branch to foment division and demonization. Is this any way to run a democracy? Will McLamy, a senior at Constitution High School, a public magnet school in Center City Philadelphia near Independence Hall, where I've been holding Democracy Cafes (DemocracyCafe.org) and Declaration Project (DeclarationProject.org) gatherings for many years, doesn't think so. Will, who has witnessed the ravages of gun violence in his neighborhood, believes that the alarming growth in gun violence is tied in telling respects to the record increases in defense acquisitions, and that both contribute to our nation's unremitting path towards ever greater militarization. But all is not lost, by any means, according to Will. Listen to the thoughtful insights of this aspiring mat

Whither democracy? Does it still exist? What can we the people do to resuscitate it? On the very day that the FCC voted to do away with net neutrality -- which so many across the political spectrum consider a linchpin for a vibrant democracy today -- I had a thoughtful exchange on the most pressing democracy matters with Lawrence Lessig, author of the rabble-rousing and critically acclaimed call to democratic arms, 'Republic Lost,' Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership at Harvard University, incomparable pro-democracy activist (not to mention esteemed advisory board member of our own nonproft Democracy Cafe.org Listen in to Larry's thoughts, hopes, concerns about, and prescriptions for democracy today.

When the unthinkable happened to Liz Tullis' son Conrad, the loving and determined mother moved forward in a way that is both an inspiration and a roadmap for all of us who experience tragedy in our lives. When Conrad was 17 months old, he fell into a swimming pool by accident, and was submerged for unknown minutes before he was discovered. Conrad suffered severe brain damage. His mom sprang into action, and has since focused all her energies on Conrad’s continued recovery. Among other accomplishments, Liz has been a driving force in pushing medical research on the type of brain injury Conrad has to new frontiers of discovery. (Be sure to check out the website ConradSmiles.com, and all of ongoing research on anoxic brain injury in pediatric non-fatal drowning cases). Liz's philosophy for how to deal with tragedy -- and how to forgive those who caused it -- is as compelling as it is universal and timeless. Listen in.