“Why is the first question most children ask. With this question we express, to the delight and chagrin of our parents, our power. In my life, questions have always been power. Asking them enabled me to overcome the challenges I faced as a young woman sitting at tables where I didn’t automatically belong.” - Andrea Batista Schlesinger
I recently had the pleasure of reading “The Death of Why” by Andrea Batista Schlesinger, the intrepid 32-year old Executive Director of the progressive think tank Drum Major Institute. As luck would have it, I came upon this podcast interview she gave about the book yesterday and strongly encourage anyone who is interested in democracy, the importance of critical thinking and questioning, and how these issues are being changed in the era of the Internet, to take a listen.
These are especially relevant topics for young people to contemplate, given how immersed we are in the web and the possible impact that environment has on our ability to ask questions. Andrea’s assertion is that we live in an increasingly answer-driven society that is having a powerful negative impact on the ability of our democracy to function properly.
If you have a few minutes (okay, maybe a few more–it’s 45 minutes long, but still quicker than reading the book!), listen to the podcast–it’s a great synthesis and Andrea is a great and engaging interviewee.
I encourage anyone who is interested in reading Ms. Schlesinger’s book, to take a look at my blog post, which describes my attempt at asking her a question:
http://mylastrawnerve.wordpress.com/2009/07/29/the-death-of-why/
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob,
Thanks for reading, and for the link! While I stand by my support of Andrea and her thought-provoking book, it’s unfortunate she reacted so poorly to questions that were “unrelated” to her talk at Barnes & Noble. Certainly, with the book title being what it is, I would have hoped she would be more open to all manner of questions.
As for her work with Mayor Bloomberg, I don’t think things are as black-and-white as many people make them out to be. Bloomberg has been very successful on many fronts and I for one (speaking personally) am glad he is willing to accept different views at the table by hiring people like Andrea. There are many ways to affect change and I don’t believe her attempt to influence an independent/Republican mayor’s policies necessarily undermines what her entire career seems to have been about.
Thanks!
e.