Hahrie Han

They want to have these kind of heroic stories, um, um, of, of victory, which is just not how, how most politics works to your point. Um, so that's kind of, I think one thing about that is, is really challenging, but then, um, the other thing is that in a lot of ways, I think there are, um,

They want to have these kind of heroic stories, um, um, of, of victory, which is just not how, how most politics works to your point. Um, so that's kind of, I think one thing about that is, is really challenging, but then, um, the other thing is that in a lot of ways, I think there are, um,

You know, I think one of the things that we, those of us who spend a lot of time thinking about how we improve our democratic system, I think one of the things that's underestimated in that conversation is the importance of commitment as a first order priority and being able to cultivate the capacities that people need. And what I mean by that is if you just imagine in a family,

You know, I think one of the things that we, those of us who spend a lot of time thinking about how we improve our democratic system, I think one of the things that's underestimated in that conversation is the importance of commitment as a first order priority and being able to cultivate the capacities that people need. And what I mean by that is if you just imagine in a family,

Like I've been married to my husband now for 20 some years. And, you know, when we fight, we can fight in a way that, you know, fight like we want to stay divorced, stay married or fight like we want to get divorced. Right. And of course, because we want to stay married, we fight in a way that, you know, kind of shape, shape the likelihood that we're going to be able to stay married. Right.

Like I've been married to my husband now for 20 some years. And, you know, when we fight, we can fight in a way that, you know, fight like we want to stay divorced, stay married or fight like we want to get divorced. Right. And of course, because we want to stay married, we fight in a way that, you know, kind of shape, shape the likelihood that we're going to be able to stay married. Right.

And so what, What that intuition, I think, tells me is that people's behaviors flow from the commitments that they have, right? And what we've done is we've created this situation in which we never ask people to really commit to democracy because it's abstract, because it's complicated, because of all these kind of things. But then we ask them to behave a certain way.

And so what, What that intuition, I think, tells me is that people's behaviors flow from the commitments that they have, right? And what we've done is we've created this situation in which we never ask people to really commit to democracy because it's abstract, because it's complicated, because of all these kind of things. But then we ask them to behave a certain way.

And it's like, wait a minute, we haven't solved the first order problem yet. And so I think that's a space where I think there's a lot more conversation that could be had about what it means to solve that first order problem.

And it's like, wait a minute, we haven't solved the first order problem yet. And so I think that's a space where I think there's a lot more conversation that could be had about what it means to solve that first order problem.

I certainly think it's a feature, not a bug. I will say that there's a political philosopher, a guy named Bernard Crick, who has this pithy little definition, which I'm not going to quote exactly, but it's something like, politics are the public actions of free men. men, if you could sort of say people, you know, which is the idea that like, we are all free and independent humans.

I certainly think it's a feature, not a bug. I will say that there's a political philosopher, a guy named Bernard Crick, who has this pithy little definition, which I'm not going to quote exactly, but it's something like, politics are the public actions of free men. men, if you could sort of say people, you know, which is the idea that like, we are all free and independent humans.

We all have our own interests and desires and motivations and things that we want to enact in the world. We may or may not think of them as public, right? In the sense that I want my children to have a good life. I want, you know, my, I want to have a good job. I want to be able to feed my family.

We all have our own interests and desires and motivations and things that we want to enact in the world. We may or may not think of them as public, right? In the sense that I want my children to have a good life. I want, you know, my, I want to have a good job. I want to be able to feed my family.

Like there are certain things that, that we all want, but at a certain point when those actions collide with another person, there's a dimension or a way in which they become public. Right. So my desire to feed my family, you know, if I live off the grid and I have my own farm, then maybe it doesn't have to collide with other people.

Like there are certain things that, that we all want, but at a certain point when those actions collide with another person, there's a dimension or a way in which they become public. Right. So my desire to feed my family, you know, if I live off the grid and I have my own farm, then maybe it doesn't have to collide with other people.

But in most cases, there are ways in which in our lives, like different things kind of come to interact with other humans. And when that happens, then there's a public dimension to that. And that inevitably generates politics in my mind.

But in most cases, there are ways in which in our lives, like different things kind of come to interact with other humans. And when that happens, then there's a public dimension to that. And that inevitably generates politics in my mind.

And so I think one of the challenges is that politics has come to take on this kind of dirty – have a dirty connotation in our society, but it doesn't have to be so.

And so I think one of the challenges is that politics has come to take on this kind of dirty – have a dirty connotation in our society, but it doesn't have to be so.