By their innocence and goodness, by their boundless capacity for forgiveness, and by the sheer power of their faith and hope, children redeem their parents, bringing out their best selves.
Cass SunsteinRead
When like-minded people, talking mostly with one another, end up thinking a more extreme version of what they thought before they started to talk... If you put a bunch of rebels in a room and ask them to discuss rebellion, they'll get more extreme.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights how discussion among like-minded individuals can lead to more extreme beliefs. It suggests that isolation in thought can amplify existing views rather than moderate them.
Cass Sunstein's quote emphasizes the phenomenon of group polarization, where individuals in a group discussing a shared belief can develop more extreme viewpoints than they initially held. This occurs because the echo chamber effect reinforces their existing beliefs and deepens their commitment to them, especially in contexts such as rebellion or dissent, ultimately leading to radicalization. The dynamics of such discussions reflect the power of social influence and the need for diverse perspectives to prevent excessive radicalization.
Themes
Group PolarizationExtremismDiscussionBeliefsSocial Influence
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion on the importance of diversity in conversations to avoid groupthink.
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It can be easy and tempting, especially during a presidential campaign, to listen only to opinions that mirror and fortify one's own. That's not ideal, because it eliminates learning and makes it impossible for people to understand what they dismiss as 'the other side.'
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Research shows that if people are talking and listening to like-minded others, they become more dogmatic, more unified, and more extreme. Personalized Facebook experiences are a breeding ground for misunderstanding and miscommunication across political lines and, ultimately, for extremism.
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