Empowering Public Wisdom: A Practical Vision of Citizen-Led Politics (Manifesto Series)
“Tom Atlee helps us envision, in amazing detail, how we can shape democracy we believe in because we’re creating together.”—Frances Moore Lappé, author ofDiet for a Small PlanetandEcoMind “In this practical and visionary book, filled with concrete examples of what works, Tom Atlee shows us how we can harness our collective wisdom to discern the way forward in these complex and challenging times. Inspiring and highly recommended!”—William Ury, coauthor ofGetting to Yesand author ofThe Third Side “A wise and important development for the democracy movement.” —Hawaii state senator Les Ihara Jr., Senate majority policy leader “At last someone has described the conditions under which ordinary people can generate real public wisdom. The implications for democracy—especially for democratic handling of our most troubling, complex, and urgent issues—are profound. I urge activists, academics, public officials, and every concerned citizen to heed the call in this book.”—Richard Sclove, author ofDemocracy and Technology “Empowering Public Wisdom serves up a juicy antidote to today’s increasingly intractable issues, political gridlock, and public disengagement. Having used many of the practices Atlee outlines, I can attest to the viability and vitality of the vision he paints and the approaches he proposes on behalf of us all.”—Peggy Holman, consultant, author of Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into Opportunity and coauthor of The Change Handbook “In this book, Tom Atlee highlights the seldom-noted potential of dialogue and deliberation to generate true public wisdom. He explores how to increase that potential, how to embed it in our democracy, and how to empower it to make a real difference—an important contribution to our field and our political culture.”—Sandy Heierbacher, director, National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation