Daily Deacon

Truth, Lies, Ideology and Politics – Suyash Keshari

A panel of professors from different backgrounds discussed and debated political ideologies, processes, climate change and upcoming policy changes on account of the presidential elections and the influence of media in the process.

_____ (idk who said this as she did not say her name) set the stage pretty well starting with “we humans have powerful emotional needs to form and maintain certain political beliefs. We conform to the cultural communities we identify and those who are interested in manipulating this are happy to do so in political and ideological spheres.”

Naomi Oreskes a professor in the department of History of Science and affiliated professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University, Jedediah Purdy, a professor of Law at Duke University and Keith Payne, a professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina all held different opinions on the influence of ideology, its interpretation and tolerance by people of America.

The panel held on February 16th at Wait Chapel was moderated by Melissa Harris-Perry, Presidential Endowed Wake Forest professor in the department of Politics and International Affairs.

The discussion kicked off with Harris-Perry directing the first question to Keith Payne –“there is a deep division between american politics and socio-cultural life and that division is hurting the identity of us as humans. But is this so called polarization actually a problem or there is some importance in seeing the world in profoundly different ways?”

Payne responds saying “ideology is a set of ideas about how we believe the world works, and how we believe we should organize ourselves in a society. The problem in politics isn’t people thinking different ideology, it’s how they think about change and create walls between each other, making us politically polarized.”

Oreskes brought law into the discussion. She believes that “in a democracy we obviously must respect and accommodate all opinions. Thus ideology itself is not a problem. The problem arises when ideology trumps the rule of law.

Taking the example of former supreme court Justice Antonin Scalia’s death and the question of appointment she says “if the congress says we don’t want to consider anyone, no matter how qualified and experienced, is problematic.”

The panel discussion attracted a large number of Wake students, faculty and staff. Alexine Devyn Carr, a first year student said “I thought that opening the discussion from the polarity angle set a thought provoking tone that was woven throughout the test of the evening.” “It made it even more interesting that the panel was composed of people from different backgrounds” she added.

Jake Orent a sophomore present at the discussion said “it really broadened the scope of thinking with respect to the upcoming elections by making me more informed yet at the same time getting me thinking about many questions.”

Jedediah Purdy shared that “I think it must have been interesting for students to see how people from different disciplines approach the same set of problems in different ways. There were some clear places of agreement and disagreements which should get students thinking and making a sense of the ideological pervasiveness in politics.”

Oreskes said that “I am thrilled to be here in Winston Salem. If you live in North Carolina, knowing the role of the tobacco industry as a part of southern industry and its economical importance to the state’s upbringing is very important. This talk with the tobacco industry example may help students learn that we are not prisoners of past and can definitely reverse things. And one can see clearly that North Carolina is not a prisoner of its past and we should take this example out to other fields such as climate change.”