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Why It's OK to Ignore Politics 1st Edition

by Christopher Freiman (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 18 ratings
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Do you feel like you’re the only person at your office without an "I Voted!" sticker on Election Day? It turns out that you're far from alone – 100 million eligible U.S. voters never went to the polls in 2016. That’s about 35 million more than voted for the winning presidential candidate.

In this book, Christopher Freiman explains why these 100 million need not feel guilty. Why It’s OK to Ignore Politics argues that you’re under no obligation to be politically active. Freiman addresses new objections to political abstention as well as some old chestnuts ("But what if everyone stopped voting?"). He also synthesizes recent empirical work showing how our political motivations distort our choices and reasoning. Because participating in politics is not an effective way to do good, Freiman argues that we actually have a moral duty to disengage from politics and instead take direct action to make the world a better place.

Key Features:

    • Makes the case against a duty of political participation for a non-expert audience

    • Presupposes no knowledge of philosophy or political science and is written in a style free of technical jargon

    • Addresses the standard, much-repeated arguments for why one should vote (e.g., one shouldn’t free ride on the efforts of others)

    • Presents the growing literature on politically motivated reasoning in an accessible and entertaining way

    • Covers a significant amount of new ground in the debate over a duty of political participation (e.g., whether participating absolves us of our complicity in state injustice)

    • Challenges the increasingly popular argument from philosophers and economists that swing state voting is effective altruism

    • Discusses the therapeutic benefits of ignoring politics―it’s good for you, your relationships, and society as a whole.
    Previous slide of product details
    1. ISBN-10
      1138389005
    2. ISBN-13
      978-1138389007
    3. Edition
      1st
    4. Publication date
      August 14, 2020
    5. Part of series
      Why It's OK
    6. Language
      English
    7. Dimensions
      5.08 x 0.43 x 7.8 inches
    8. Print length
      176 pages
    9. See all details
    Next slide of product details

    Editorial Reviews

    Review

    "Why It’s OK to Ignore Politics isn’t just a wise, witty work of philosophy. It is a fantastic self-help book. And the more the title shocks you, the more you need to read it."
    Bryan Caplan, George Mason University

    "This is a terrific book addressing something of interest to a lot of people. It's clear, fast-paced, compellingly-argued, and delightfully contrarian. By the end, Freiman actually makes a strong case that being politically active is not just unnecessary, but morally wrong."
    Michael Huemer, University of Colorado, Boulder



    "Why It’s OK to Ignore Politics isn’t just a wise, witty work of philosophy. It is a fantastic self-help book. And the more the title shocks you, the more you need to read it."
    Bryan Caplan, George Mason University

    "This is a terrific book addressing something of interest to a lot of people. It's clear, fast-paced, compellingly-argued, and delightfully contrarian. By the end, Freiman actually makes a strong case that being politically active is not just unnecessary, but morally wrong."
    Michael Huemer, University of Colorado Boulder

    About the Author

    Christopher Freiman is Associate Professor of Philosophy at William & Mary. He is the author of Unequivocal Justice (2017).

    Product details

    • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Routledge; 1st edition (August 14, 2020)
    • Language ‏ : ‎ English
    • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
    • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1138389005
    • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1138389007
    • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.2 ounces
    • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.08 x 0.43 x 7.8 inches
    • Customer Reviews:
      4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 18 ratings

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    Christopher Freiman

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    Customer reviews

    4.2 out of 5 stars
    18 global ratings

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    Top reviews from the United States

    • Kindle Customer
      5.0 out of 5 stars Persuasive and fun read
      Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2022
      This book does a great job of putting political participation into perspective. Even if it doesn't convince you to stop voting or following politics, it will probably persuade you to do more volunteering and/or charitable giving.
      2 people found this helpful
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    • Kyle Bogosian
      4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good
      Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2021
      Verified Purchase
      The book gives a nice refutation of arguments that people are morally obligated to engage in politics, covering many different philosophies.

      It does have limitations. One problem is that he assumes that you have to be extremely well informed to be a smart voter considering the complexity of government policy. But that's not true, you only have to be better than half the electorate in order to make a positive difference. And that can be achieved with very little work. It just requires a little bit of critical thinking, good moral values, and not ignoring experts.

      He also overstates the theory of "motivated cognition". He argues that humans don't process new information in a way that leads to wisdom and agreement. But the studies that he cites are a little more nuanced than he lets on, and they have been challenged by more recent research. Motivated cognition is definitely a risk but it doesn't doom the idea of learning about politics.

      In the conclusion of the book, the author actually argues that engaging in politics is morally wrong. Considering his mistakes that I describe above, I think ultimately there's enough ambiguity to make a decision either way. Perhaps politics is a form of effective altruism and perhaps it is not.

      But even if this book doesn't turn you away from politics, it will still be a useful read because it points the way to how you can engage in politics in a balanced, sane and ethical manner. And he does this carefully and thoughtfully, it's not a smarmy appeal to bothsidesism.
      10 people found this helpful
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    • Careful Shopper
      1.0 out of 5 stars Why it’s OK to Ignore This Book
      Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2022
      Verified Purchase
      The opportunity cost of taking the time to wade through Freiman’s series of specious arguments is just way too high. One star only because zero was not an option.
      9 people found this helpful
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    • Martin P
      2.0 out of 5 stars A kind of academic shtposting
      Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2022
      The author points out how hard it is to vote really well: not only finding out the candidates platforms, but also scrutinizing their real record and intentions, and then foreseeing the long term effects of those policies. He's correct, it's hard or impossible to know. He argues we should therefore give up and instead spend money and time on charity.

      But all the same problems arise there too! Will your chosen cause really deliver what they promise? What will be the long term and second order effects?

      The same nihilism the author advances about politics can equally apply to charity or really any expenditure of money and effort.

      It's a shame the book is so trollish because a more useful book could be written from the same starting point. Probably something about: invest just enough effort to make better judgements than the average voter but don't make yourself miserable. Unfortunately that isn't this book.
      6 people found this helpful
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