PPE Lecture: Alexandra Oprea

How to be a Good Democratic Citizen

What does it mean to be a good democratic citizen? What kind of civic education prepares people to fulfill their democratic role well? And are there democratic reforms that can make it easier to be a good democratic citizen?

In this talk, Dr. Alexandra Oprea will provide and defend answers to these questions that should appeal to citizens with a variety of political views. In particular, she will argue that a good democratic citizen prioritizes the continuation of their democracy — sometimes above other cherished values or policies that they would like to see implemented. This turns out to have important implications for how one ought to vote, how one ought to discuss politics (in person and on social media), and how one ought to act within one's social group and community more broadly.