公共爭議

「民主要求的是激烈的公共辯論，而不是資訊。當然，民主也需要資訊，但是它需要的那種資訊只能在辯論裡產生。我們不知道我們需要什麼，除非我們問對了問題，唯有把自己的世界觀訴諸於公共論辯的考驗，我們才會知道正確的問題是什麼。通常被視為辯論的前提的資訊，最好被理解為辯論的副產品。當我們全神貫注於論證的時候，總會熱切地尋找相關的資訊，否則我們只會被動地接受資訊（如果我們真的接受了的話）」Lasch, Christopher. 2008. 菁英的反叛 （The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy）. Translated by 林宏濤. 台北: 商周，頁207。

（"What democracy requires is vigorous public debate, not information. Of course, it needs information too, but the kind of information it needs can be generated only by debate. We do not know what we need to know until we ask the right questions, and we can identify the right questions-only by subjecting our own ideas about the world to the test of public controversy. Information, usually seen as the precondition of debate, is better understood as its by-product. When we get into arguments that focus and fully engage our attention, we become avid seekers of relevant information. Otherwise we take in information passively-if we take it in at all." ）Lasch, Christopher. 1995. The Revolt of the Elites : And the Betrayal of Democracy. 1st ed. New York: W.W. Norton.p. 162-3.

• Michael Sandel: The lost art of democratic debate

  • 強調在民主中，對於爭議論題的論辯應該要納入道德、正義觀，而不是為了避免爭議，彼此只談權利與利益，狹窄化了爭議方向，也使得人們只在乎個人自由、金錢，而忽略了道德生活的面向。

• 公共爭議

• 墮胎合法化

• 多元成家（同性婚姻）

• 死刑/廢除死刑 Death Penalty?

• 兵役制度：徵兵、募兵制 Military Service?

• 代理孕母 Surrogate Mother?

• 安樂死 Euthanasia?

• 大麻合法化 Legalized Cannabis ?

• 繁星計畫 affirmative action