The Rise of Common-Sense Conservatism: The American Right and the Reinvention of the Scottish Enlightenment

ocracy, a more fine-grained and textured treatment of the contested and variegated information environment on which public opinion is formed and disseminated was warranted. Lafont’s latest book is a thought-provoking read for all interested in deepening democracy; it requires one to think through the ways that “quick fixes,” like micro-deliberation, miss opportunities to bring forth lasting change and fall short on democratic considerations. In my mind, questions still remain about how to achieve the long-game of large-scale deliberation and reason-giving for urgent political issues like climate change, inequality, and migration—those that are causing acute harm to vulnerable populations as we wait for serious policy change.