Questions of Civic Proportions delivers questions, ideas, and good work from a political life worth sharing.
It’s a power-up for the civic-minded.
Each newsletter is a small act of thinking together, delivered twice a month, that transforms the endless scroll of headlines into questions aligned to American political thought and constitutional thinking.
We believe public dialogue is a civic duty but you need good questions. It’s not talking politics. It’s sharing what we can learn about political life.
With our Questions of Civic Proportions Newsletter, you’ll always have good questions.
Questions of Civic Proportions are questions that deserve your time. Let’s make it easier to start thinking together.
"Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers."
—VoltaireOur Latest Questions
Questions of Civic Proportions: Do we understand the work of perfecting the American union?
The country mourns the loss of a hero this weekend.
A man whose work in the real world achieved the legendary status of becoming a series of bestselling comic books. The heroes in comic books appear larger than life but Congressman John Lewis would insist that any of us could do what he did.
Questions of Civic Proportions: Is it different this time?
Spray cans left at the bottom of the Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond, Virginia invited everyone to leave their mark. People there transformed the space around the monument into a community space, some described the scene as a “focus of civic outpouring.”
The pictures posted online include basketball and ballerinas. Look at the t-shirts and you’ll find the claim, “I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams.”
Questions of Civic Proportions: Are we willing to see this through?
Aimee Stephens answered so many questions in the last seven years of her life. In one of many interviews, she shared the first questions she remembers fielding—are you willing to see this through? ACLU attorneys had to ask if she would persevere.
Questions of Civic Proportions: What do the books on your shelves tell you about who we are?
The data is in: we’re buying the books. You might have even seen the screenshot circulating as a sign of hope. The top non-fiction titles on the New York Times Bestseller list are all about race and criminal justice.
Questions of Civic Proportions: What Can We Make of a World on Fire?
There’s one phrase that keeps shouting at me over all the images of the protests. The phrase comes from Ta-Nehisi Coates’ book, Between the World and Me (2015).
Reflecting on his childhood, Coates describes what it was like growing up as a black boy in the United States. The phrase that haunts me today appears in that account. Coates says he learned to be “powerfully afraid.”
Questions of Civic Proportions: What can we do to fight all the baloney?
Gullibility kills. That’s the last line of Carl Sagan’s essay, “The Fine Art of Baloney Detection.” When it comes to baloney, we’re at Code Red.
Questions of Civic Proportions: Where will your mind wander?
I haven’t read Ryan Holiday’s recent book, but I’ve started to suspect that this is the right time for it. The title is “Stillness is the Key.”
Questions of Civic Proportions: Why does it matter if we find the right words for this?
We’re all asking one another, “how are you holding up?” The standard response usually starts with a deep breath and includes some bad joke.
We’re looking for a new approach to our standard greetings. The usual ones don’t seem to do enough to recognize that we’re all keeping a safe distance from one another.
Questions of Civic Proportions: Do we understand the work of perfecting the American union?
The country mourns the loss of a hero this weekend.
A man whose work in the real world achieved the legendary status of becoming a series of bestselling comic books. The heroes in comic books appear larger than life but Congressman John Lewis would insist that any of us could do what he did.
Questions of Civic Proportions: Is it different this time?
Spray cans left at the bottom of the Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond, Virginia invited everyone to leave their mark. People there transformed the space around the monument into a community space, some described the scene as a “focus of civic outpouring.”
The pictures posted online include basketball and ballerinas. Look at the t-shirts and you’ll find the claim, “I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams.”
Questions of Civic Proportions: Are we willing to see this through?
Aimee Stephens answered so many questions in the last seven years of her life. In one of many interviews, she shared the first questions she remembers fielding—are you willing to see this through? ACLU attorneys had to ask if she would persevere.
Questions of Civic Proportions: What do the books on your shelves tell you about who we are?
The data is in: we’re buying the books. You might have even seen the screenshot circulating as a sign of hope. The top non-fiction titles on the New York Times Bestseller list are all about race and criminal justice.
Questions of Civic Proportions: What Can We Make of a World on Fire?
There’s one phrase that keeps shouting at me over all the images of the protests. The phrase comes from Ta-Nehisi Coates’ book, Between the World and Me (2015).
Reflecting on his childhood, Coates describes what it was like growing up as a black boy in the United States. The phrase that haunts me today appears in that account. Coates says he learned to be “powerfully afraid.”
Questions of Civic Proportions: What can we do to fight all the baloney?
Gullibility kills. That’s the last line of Carl Sagan’s essay, “The Fine Art of Baloney Detection.” When it comes to baloney, we’re at Code Red.
Questions of Civic Proportions: Where will your mind wander?
I haven’t read Ryan Holiday’s recent book, but I’ve started to suspect that this is the right time for it. The title is “Stillness is the Key.”
Questions of Civic Proportions: Why does it matter if we find the right words for this?
We’re all asking one another, “how are you holding up?” The standard response usually starts with a deep breath and includes some bad joke.
We’re looking for a new approach to our standard greetings. The usual ones don’t seem to do enough to recognize that we’re all keeping a safe distance from one another.
Top Issues from 2019
Did You See the Magic at your Thanksgiving Gathering? It’s the Cure for Loneliness.
When a big holiday meal goes well, we all start to see the magic in a hundred small things.
Perhaps your holiday crew avoided political confrontations this year. Or you palyed board games without someone getting their feelings hurt…
Read more
Is Democracy a Call-to-Arms or Something Else?
Leoanrd Cohen kept coming at me this week. I’m not his biggest fan, but I’ve figured out that he has something to teach us, something that’s important to hear right now.
Read more
What Can We Learn from Thinking in Time, Even for Just a Minute?
I haven’t been able to get my bearings on events in northern Syria this week. There’s a book I keep within reach for moments like these. One of the most pragmatic skills of all lies in the study of history and politics.
Read more
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Robert Putnam blamed television and urban sprawl. When we spend our time commuting or binge-watching, we don’t have time to talk to our neighbors. While most of us know some of our neighbors, few of us interact with them in any meaningful way.
Read more
What can we learn from those questions that keep calling us back to them?
We mark a new school year in countless ways… In some of those distant places, we remember a question or an assignment that opened up our mind to discovering something new. The best questions make a lasting impression.
Read more
Time to start telling the truth about the hardest work of democratic life
When you step into the arena, you risk everything. No one can tell you what happens next. The work of leading a cause requires a resilience that doesn’t get much air time.