An Argument for Democracy

The Citizenship and American Identity Program tackles tough conversations.

Give NowSince October 2020, the Better Arguments Project—a partnership of the Citizenship and American Identity Program, Facing History and Ourselves, and Allstate—has hosted monthly one-hour “101” trainings, with nearly 3,000 participants answering RSVPs. In these sessions, the team leads reflection on the role of arguments in a healthy democracy and introduces participants to the “Three Dimensions and Five Principles of a Better Argument”—the project’s framework for constructive disagreement. The project also regularly offers “Principles to Practice,” a two-hour, more immersive version of the training.

In collaboration with the Aspen Institute Planning and Evaluation Program, the project has created post-training surveys to gauge impact on participants. The vast majority of attendees stated that as a result of the training, they are more likely to seek viewpoints that extend or challenge their own perspective, are better equipped to productively engage with people who have different opinions, and are more confident that civic conversations can help bring people together, not drive them apart.

One woman told the project team that she is trying to maintain a relationship with her childhood best friend, who has become a strident QAnon follower. A liberal man running for city council in a conservative, rural district uses the training as a framework to engage with citizens. A high school debate coach teaches this approach to young people. And the head of a nonprofit in California provides educational resources and trainings statewide to public officials across the political aisle. These are just a few examples of participants who have told the Better Arguments team how they are applying the framework to engage constructively across divides.