<div><h3><strong>The folk theory of democracy</strong></h3><p>The common perception holds that the people elect their leaders at the polls and then hold them accountable for representing their will. The folk theory is appealing because it puts the will of the people and their interests at the heart 

Democracy: It Isn’t What You Think

<div><p>Analyses of policy proposals from <strong><a href="http://ivn.us/tag/marco-rubio" rel="noopener noreferrer">Marco Rubio</a></strong>, <strong><a href="http://ivn.us/tag/ted-cruz" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ted Cruz</a></strong>, <strong><a href="http://ivn.us/tag/donald-trump" rel="noopener n

In 2016 Race, Phantom Policy Proposals Disguise Trillions Added to National Debt

<div><p>NPR and other media outlets have aired interviews with Iowans on why Iowa always gets to go first. Who goes second gets far less coverage, but the same logic presumably applies. If what some Iowans say is representative of at least half of its residents, most are an arrogant bunch. More dist

OPINION: The Irrationality of Iowa and N.H. Going First in Presidential Elections

<div><p>One can ask what most accurately describes the essence of intelligent, objective, public service-oriented politics. Is it primarily an honest competition among the dominant ideologies of our times, a self-interested quest for influence and power or a combination of the two? Does it boil down

Superforecasting: Understanding The Art and Science of Prediction

<div><p>In the wake of the 14 <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35162806" rel="noopener noreferrer">terrorism-inspired murders</a> in San Bernardino on December 2, 2015, and other recent terror attacks, some Americans altered their travel plans. They were worried about their personal 

Risk Assessment: Don't Let Terrorism Ruin Your New Year's Plans

<div><p><span>For the most part, people view the world and politics and make judgments through biases that color what they see and understood. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_Politics_%2528book%2529" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span>Personal morals or political ideology</span></a> is a p

OPINION: The Key to Having a Persuasive Argument with the Other Side

<div><p>Dissident Politics advocates a set of three political principles or morals that foster objectivity in politics. The proposal comes despite the innate intuitive-subjective nature of human cognition and American politics.</p><p>Two core premises underpin the argument. The first is that modern 

How to Save The Public Interest from Two-Party Politics

<div><h2><strong>The Climate Science</strong></h2><p>About 97-98% of climate science experts no longer debate whether anthropogenic global warming (AGW) is real and caused primarily by human activity. Current debates center on how serious, how soon, and what and where specific changes will be.</p><p

Understanding the Biology and Politics of Climate Change Denial

<div><blockquote><em>I have striven not to laugh at human actions, not to weep at them, not to hate them, but to understand them</em>. - Baruch Spinoza, <em>Tractatus Politicus</em>, 1676</blockquote><p>&nbsp;</p><blockquote><em>It is OK to hate some human actions, but never stop trying to understan

OPINION: Paris, Politics, and the Human Mind

Germaine Descant

Articles by Germaine Descant