Widening the ‘We’: Meeting the Crisis of Common Sense

Photo by Samuel Regan-Asante

What do we mean, in a social and political sense, by “we”? Generally, we’re referring to our shared identity as a community: the collective understanding that enables us to discuss, deliberate, and arrive at decisions on matters that affect all of us.

But “we” does not automatically include everyone. It refers to those of us who feel confident that we have a voice, however limited, in how society is run, and that we can expect our interests, needs, and...