James Fishkin
Special guest
James Fishkin is a leading democratic theorist and one of the world’s foremost thinkers on public deliberation. He is best known as the founder of Deliberative Polling, an innovative approach to civic engagement that brings together representative groups of citizens to learn, discuss, and reflect before expressing their views on public policy. His work has been applied in dozens of countries and has shaped how scholars, governments, and civic institutions think about democracy beyond elections alone.
In his latest book, Can Deliberation Cure the Ills of Democracy?, Fishkin explores whether thoughtful, informed public discussion can counter polarization, mistrust, and democratic decay. Drawing on decades of research and real-world experiments, he offers a hopeful but clear-eyed vision for renewing democratic life by taking citizens seriously as participants in collective decision-making.
Fishkin’s scholarship sits at the intersection of political philosophy, empirical social science, and democratic practice—making him a vital voice for anyone concerned about the future of democracy.
James Fishkin has been a guest on 1 episode.
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Episode 313: Can Deliberation Cure the Ills of Democracy?, with James S. Fishkin
December 17th, 2025 | 48 mins 24 secs
My guest is James Fishkin, professor at Stanford University and one of the world’s leading scholars of democratic reform. His new book, Can Deliberation Cure the Ills of Democracy?, argues that polarization, mistrust, and democratic dysfunction aren’t just political problems—they’re failures of how we form opinions together. Drawing on decades of research and real-world experiments in deliberative democracy, Fishkin makes the case that when ordinary citizens are given time, information, and the chance to engage across differences, democracy can work better than we imagine. In this conversation, we explore what deliberation really means, how it differs from our current political debates, and whether it can help heal some of democracy’s deepest wounds. It was a great conversation. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I give you James Fishkin.