Talk of the week: What if we replaced politicians with randomly selected people?

A bold idea with roots in ancient Athens. Open in browser

This week on TED.com June 9, 2018

Talk of the week Brett Hennig: What if we replaced politicians with randomly selected people? 09:31 minutes · Filmed May 2017 · Posted Jun 2018 · TEDxDanubia If you think democracy is broken, here's an idea: let's replace politicians with randomly selected people. Author and activist Brett Hennig presents a compelling case for sortition democracy, or random selection of government officials -- a system with roots in ancient Athens that taps into the wisdom of the crowd and entrusts ordinary people with making balanced decisions for the greater good of everyone. Sound crazy? Learn more about how it could work to create a world free of partisan politics. Watch now »

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Quote of the Week “ Of course, I'm very aware that it's going to be difficult to institute this. Try this -- say to your friend, "I think we should populate our parliament with randomly selected people." "Are you joking? What if my neighbor gets chosen? The fool can't even separate his recycling." But the perhaps surprising but overwhelming and compelling evidence from all these modern examples is that it does work. If you give people responsibility, they act responsibly. " Brett Hennig What if we replaced politicians with randomly selected people?

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