Wise Democracy

Thomas Steininger in dialogue with Tom Atlee

In these times, when politics feels frustrating and our differences feel irreconcilable, Tom Atlee offers a vision of how we can do democracy far better. Tom is the founder of The Co-Intelligence Institute, which is a non-profit that promotes awareness of co-intelligence. His central concern is evolving our current broken political system into something that he calls Wise Democracy.

Tom believes that we can transcend the polarization of debate. We can move beyond trying to make fixed choices about dynamic problems. There are far better ways to work than yes/no, right/wrong and us/them thinking—that are within reach. We already have the ability to have nuanced and deliberative decision making.

Tom’s wisdom offers a beautiful way to rethink what is possible for our democracy. As he puts it: “If you’re not part of problem you can’t be part of the solution.” When people start talking to each other, any system can become an emergent form of governance.

This week on Radio evolve, Thomas Steininger speaks with Tom Atlee about Wise Democracy.