On this episode of the Argument Ninja podcast I talk about the difficulty of judging how much we really understand about the causes of complex social phenomena—even if we do lots of research and self-study.
To help make the case I’m continuing my survey of different theories of the causes of the increase in social polarization that we’re currently experiencing.
On this episode I look specifically at the work of two social scientists who have written extensively on this topic:
But before I get to these topics, I give some Argument Ninja Dojo updates, do a recap of episode 034, and present a conceptual model for how we should think about the epistemological challenge of understanding complex social phenomena like polarization.
00:00 - 01:22 Introduction
01:22 - 06:31 Argument Ninja Dojo Announcements
06:31 - 11:45 Recap of Episode 034
11:45 - 14:41 Outline of What's to Come
14:41 - 23:40 Argument Matrices and the Problem of Calibrating Our Knowledge
23:40 - 25:48 The Epistemological Challenge of Understanding Complex Social Phenomena
25:48 - 42:44 Karen Stenner: The Authoritarian Dynamic
42:44 - 01:04:35 Eric Kauffman: Whiteshift and "Multivocal" Nationalism
01:04:35 - 01:07:56 Reasons to Think We Know Less Than We Think
01:07:56 - 01:08:44 Reminder: Argument Ninja Dojo Discount Coupon Links
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