What follows putting reason in its place?

Author: Levinson, Sanford
Publication: University of Pennsylvania Law Review
Topics: Gun Carrying Legislation and Policy Ownership Social Science
Keywords: Decision making GUN control anecdote culture debate
Bibliographic information +

The author critiques a paper published by Kahan and Braman arguing that empirical evidence on the consequences of guns will not suffice to settle the gun control debate. He makes reference to anecdotes that disprove the model that rational decision making prevails in politics. He agrees that cultural worldviews are a crucial factor in understanding and resolving polarized issues. However, he notes that while keeping cultural views in mind is a necessary condition for resolving the gun control debate, it cannot be a sufficient condition for formulating policy alone.

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