He then evaluates a different possibility for these venues. Those citizens who enjoyed this process did not expect direct outcomes from their political talk. Instead, they felt more educated, knowledgeable, and engaged in an on-going discussion about public goods and values. There are times when a specific solution is needed and can be effectively implemented. Dialogue unearths these problems and enables the means to reach new levels of thinking and action.
American society is replete with examples of non-engagement.
We are on personal cell phones and individual e-mail accounts. We inhabit cities and towns where communities resist coming together even as members are fearful standing alone. We must first call into question the purpose of different channels of communication at the Kennedy School. There is a role for information-sharing, question and answer, panel discussions. To advance problem-identification and framing, however, and to build the collective capacities to address these problems, conversations need to hold conflict at its deepest and most broad dimensions.