OpenMind Blog
Explore the science behind our divisions and gain tools to overcome them
To Build Bridges, Create Space
When I started law school at the University of Chicago, I expected to learn the law, but was instead confronted with history. Whether it was in how American tort law frequently assigns lower monetary values to injuries suffered in minority...
Creating a Political Classroom to Reduce Political Polarization
"When democracy is reduced to warring political camps, one reaction can be to keep politics out of schools; as a consequence, students are not taught how to deliberate about their differences.” Diana Hess and Paula McAvoy published the book, The...
Why Building Community – Even Through Discomfort – Could Help Stressed College Students
It is a growing problem on campuses across America. Students entering college are reporting levels of anxiety, depression and social isolation higher than previous generations. The phrase “mental health crisis” has become commonplace within higher...
The Brain’s Autocomplete Feature Oversimplifies Complex Issues and Impedes Tolerance
Enter any of the following words into your browser’s search bar: progressive, liberal, conservative, evangelical, right-wing, gay, straight, Muslim, Republican or Democrat. Do you notice that other terms that the algorithms think are related appear...
The Challenge of Empathy in the Wake of the Election
Why is it that presidential election seasons bring out the absolute worst of humanity? How have we justified throwing all civility and respect aside in favor of unfettered contempt, uninformed critique, and widespread ranting about “them” – most...
A Tool for Understanding
Like a lot of folks, I occasionally hear people espouse values and beliefs different and often counter to my own. When I was young, I didn’t understand this. Many of these beliefs and positions seemed irrational to me. How could people believe such...
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