The Dumbed-Down Discourse Dilemma

Abstract

Some critics worry that the average quality of public discourse in liberal democracies is deplorably low. An example of this is that superficial media content enjoys a much broader audience than highly informative content. States can take various measures to improve the quality of public discourse. For example, states can implement strong incentives for private outlets to produce content of high quality. Should states implement such measures? This article argues that answers to this question face a dilemma. Accepting the existence of a dumbed-down discourse is difficult because of several negative consequences that dumbed-down discourses create. Improving the quality of public discourse is problematic because some of the most promising interventions to improve discourse quality cannot be justified in ways that are compatible with liberal neutrality. The article assesses two possible solutions to the dilemma and finds both of them wanting.