A particular underlying theme within this chapter is that of education and knowledge. Earlier in the chapter, the author(s) stress the importance of understanding history in order to make sense of the present. Plato and Aristotle debated on whether or not ordinary citizens were capable of holding competent public opinions. Machiavelli strongly felt that people are more focused on the present, rather than the future, and therefore unable to make important decisions, resulting in the need for dictatorship.
What degree of impact do you feel that education and knowledge has on opinion within the public sphere? The philosophers mentioned beforehand argued the various strengths and weaknesses of the average citizen and Tocqueville was able to form relationships with public spheres as a whole. He pointed out the difference in public opinion among societies of equality and inequality. What kinds of correlations between education, public opinion and the various forms of democracy can you find from different countries or regions (modernized vs. third world vs. developing, etc) around the world?
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1. What degree of impact do you feel that education and knowledge has on opinion within the public sphere?
ReplyDeleteEducation and knowledge have enormous impacts on the nature and intensity of opinion within the public sphere. I completely agree with Plato’s, Rousseau’s, and others’ skepticism of the common person’s wisdom, because having an education makes a world of difference on a person’s ability and passion in forming an opinion. Though it is true that everyone is capable of having an opinion based on basic cognitive abilities and everyone is entitled to an opinion, it is also true that not everyone has the same capability to think rationally and look at the logistics as well as various “sides” of an issue. One example of this can be seen through any Presidential election—most people of voting age vote based on “likability” of the candidate. People vote less for candidates based on ability to strengthen the economy, create jobs, strengthen America’s position on the world stage, or any number of different issues, but more for the candidate they think is personally appealing. The public sphere—which, according to Jurgen Habermas, is “what one hears in a neighborhood bar or on talk radio,”—is a reflection on the importance of education and knowledge of the general public. This is because through the public sphere, we see the level of knowledge and understanding of issues of the average person and more educated people; we also see the public sphere helping to educate those less educated on a daily basis. Without the ability for free and open debate in the public sphere, true public opinion would cease to exist.
2. What kinds of correlations between education, public opinion and the various forms of democracy can you find from different countries or regions (modernized vs. third world vs. developing, etc) around the world?
Democracy is different in every country practicing it due to cultural traits, history, tradition, etc. In countries where women are viewed as inferior to men, women have less access to the education and knowledge necessary to form a truly rational opinion on an issue. The book uses an example of government in mid-nineteenth-century America where women were seen as unworthy of participation in the free and open debate of the public sphere. Because of limits on women’s rights, public opinion was only collected through certain “publics” such as white middle-aged males. Women provide new, fresh perspectives on issues; with the right access to education and means of speaking out, women can truly change a country’s public sphere. In countries still holding those views toward women, the public sphere is severely limited because of this lack of education and perspective. In more controlling forms of democracy, people may find it more difficult to voice opinions due to fear of what might happen to them if they speak out.
Public opinion comes in different ways in different countries based on general level of education of the public. In more developing countries where the average person’s level of education is limited, issues of importance will differ from those in more developed countries where education levels are higher. For example, a person in a developing or third-world country may be more concerned about finding food for his or her family for the day as opposed to in a more developed country people may be more concerned about issues such as the economy at large, social security, world peace, or a variety of other, more encompassing issues.