“We can believe in hierarchy. We can believe the universe was made just for us. Hierarchy and a major sense of entitlement are not insurmountable problems. The problem occurs when we treat those whom we believe lie beneath us as… — Cass R. Sunstein Copy Share Image
“Padmé insists: “There’s always a choice.” Does Anakin hear the echo of her voice decades later, when he decides to save their son from the Emperor? I like to think so. “YOU GET MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN” Here’s Leia, speaking of Han’s apparent desertion of the rebellion in A New Hope: “A man must follow his own… — Cass R. Sunstein Copy Share
“Partyism certainly isn’t as horrible as racism; no one is enslaved or turned into a lower caste. But according to some measures, partyism now… — Cass R. Sunstein Copy Share Image
“More recently, Lucas described a visit in Europe, after the release of Revenge of the Sith, “with a dozen reporters, and the Russian correspondents all thought the film was about Russian politics, and the Americans all thought it was about Bush. And I said, ‘Well, it’s really based on Rome. And on the French Revolution and Bonaparte.’” The prequels focus… — Cass R. Sunstein Copy Share
“Those who emphasize animal rights have a more complicated task. They tend to urge that animals should be given rights to the extent that their capacities are akin to those of human beings. The usual emphasis here is on cognitive capacities. The line would be drawn between animals with advanced capacities, such as chimpanzees and dolphins, and those that lack… — Cass R. Sunstein Copy Share
“Without shared experiences, a heterogeneous society will have a much more difficult time addressing social problems. People may even find it hard to understand one another. Common experiences, emphatically including the common experiences made possible by social media, provide a form of social glue. A national holiday is a shared experience. So is a major sports event (the Olympics or… — Cass R. Sunstein Copy Share
“You can become radicalized in the sense that you come to believe, firmly, a position that is within the political mainstream—for example, that your… — Cass R. Sunstein Copy Share Image
“By itself, partyism is not the most serious threat to democratic self-government. But if it decreases government’s ability to solve serious problems, then it… — Cass R. Sunstein Copy Share Image
“Emotions can get in the way of truth-seeking. People do not process information in a neutral way.” — Cass R. Sunstein Copy Share Image
“Or consider the fact that after people buy a new car, they often love to read advertisements that speak enthusiastically about the same car that they have just obtained. Those advertisements tend to be comforting because they confirm the wisdom of the decision to purchase that particular car. If you are a member of a particular political party or have… — Cass R. Sunstein Copy Share
“A lot of people disparage the Star Wars prequels, and understandably so; they’re not nearly as good as the original trilogy. But in their own way, they’re not just beautiful; they’re also awfully clever. Here’s the best part: all of the choices in the first trilogy are precisely mirrored in the prequels. The two trilogies are about freedom of choice… — Cass R. Sunstein Copy Share
“Brandeis can be taken to have offered a conception of the social role of the idealized citizen. For such a citizen, active engagement in… — Cass R. Sunstein Copy Share Image
“In 1960, just 5 percent of Republicans and 4 percent of Democrats said that they would feel “displeased” if their child married outside their… — Cass R. Sunstein Copy Share Image
