Convocation: Bryan Garsten

Bryan Garsten is Professor of Political Science at Yale University, and serves as Director of Undergraduate Studies for the program in Ethics, Politics and Economics. He writes about the history of political thought and contemporary political theory, with a special interest in the themes of persuasion and judgment. He is the author of the prize-winning book Saving Persuasion: A Defense of Rhetoric and Judgment. In today’s increasingly polarized political landscape it seems that fewer and fewer citizens hold out hope of persuading one another. Even among those who have not given up on persuasion, few will admit to practicing the art of persuasion known as rhetoric. To describe political speech as ‘rhetoric’ today is to accuse it of being superficial or manipulative. Garsten uncovers the early modern origins of this suspicious attitude toward rhetoric and seeks to loosen its grip on contemporary political theory. Revealing how deeply concerns about rhetorical speech shaped both ancient and modern political thought, he argues that the artful practice of persuasion ought to be viewed as a crucial part of democratic politics. He provocatively suggests that the aspects of rhetoric that seem most dangerous—the appeals to emotion, religious values, and the concrete commitments and identities of particular communities—are also those which can draw out citizens’ capacity for good judgment. Against theorists who advocate a rationalized ideal of deliberation aimed at consensus, Garsten argues that a controversial politics of partiality and passion can produce a more engaged and more deliberative kind of democratic discourse. Garsten shared his thoughts about the role of a liberal education in his presentation titled "What Is College For?"