Too Dumb for Democracy? Why your brain struggles with good political decision-making episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 17, 2026 · 54 MIN

Too Dumb for Democracy? Why your brain struggles with good political decision-making

from Big Ideas · host Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Think about the person whose politics you find most baffling, or most infuriating. Now imagine you must make a decision together. Actually negotiate, project forward, find common ground. That's democracy. And it turns out our brains aren't especially well-built for it.In an era shaped by inequality, environmental crisis and the decline of democratic institutions understanding how we make political decisions might be one of the most urgent questions we face.Recorded live at the Melbourne Writers Festival as part of the Wheeler Centre's The Fifth Estate series.SpeakersDr David MoscropPolitics columnist for The Washington Post, The Walrus, Time Magazine, The Globe, The Guardian and othersAuthor of Too Dumb For Democracy: Why We Make Bad Political Decisions And How We Can Make Better OnesDr Sally WarhaftMelbourne based freelance broadcaster, anthropologist and writer. Host of The Wheeler Centre's series The Fifth Estate

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 17, 2026

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Too Dumb for Democracy? Why your brain struggles with good political decision-making

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