fun with worldviews: cultural cognition and building bridges between the boxes we inhabit

www.slowdemocracy.org

Individualist Communitarian

Individualist Communitarian

Traditionalist (Hierarchist)

Egalitarian

“Cultural Worldviews”The Cultural Cognition Project

Commun itarianIn

dividualist

Egalitarian

Hierarchical

Communi taria n

Representative Survey Items

Our society would be better off if the distribution of wealth was

more equal.

We have gone too far in pushing equal rights in this country.

The gov’t should stop

telling people how to live their lives.

It’s society’s responsibility to make sure everyone’s basic needs are met.

A B

CD

“Cultural Worldviews”The Cultural Cognition Project, Yale Law School

Commun itarian

Individualist

Egalitarian

Hierarchical

Commun itarian

Distribution of Cultural Orientations in the United States

Quick overview of national map

Conflicting Cultural Orientations

Citizen deliberation vs.cultural cognition

MONDAY Orientation to CIR

TUESDAY Pro/Con presentation/rebuttal

WEDNESDAY Witnesses called by panel

THURSDAY Pro/Con closing arguments

FRIDAY Write and present CIR Statement

CIR Panel on Measure 73

First CIR held Aug 9-13, 2010

Measure 73 would establish increased minimum sentences for certain repeated sex crimes and drunk driving.

0 1STRONGLY 4 10 3 STRONGLY OPPOSE OPPOSE NEUTRAL FAVOR FAVOR

BEFORE DELIBERATION

STRONGLY OPPOSE NEUTRAL FAVOR STRONGLY OPPOSE FAVORAFTER DELIBERATION

Shifting CIR Positions on Measure 73

The cultural locations of the 2010 Citizens’ Initiative Review panelists and their final position on the

mandatory minimum sentencing measure

The cultural locations of the 2010 Citizens’ Initiative Review panelists and their final position on the medical

marijuana measure

For more information on cultural cognition, visit www.culturalcognition.net

Cultural cognition’s applications for local democratic activists are described in Slow Democracy (Susan Clark and Woden Teachout, Chelsea Green, 2012). www.slowdemocracy.org