And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech (Genesis 11:1). Imagine the Babel Tower tale stopped at this first verse. Picture a uniform society in which differences have been rubbed out. Try to think about a world in which everyone shares the same beliefs and opinions, one of absolute consensus. Impossible, right? Only in the city of London, one can hear more than 300 languages, with a wide range of cultures, spiritual backgrounds and life stories attached to them. Even in the least pluralistic communities, one can spot people with different tastes, worries and priorities. The Earth’s population is diverse and this multicoloured scenario creates the need for public discourse.

What is public discourse, and why it matters

Public discourse refers to the exchange of positions in relation to a topic between individuals who differ in their views. The members of the public involved in public discourse present their respective perceptions (and the reasons behind them) to one another to form opinions and find a certain level of common understanding or agreement. Also, we all tend to look for debates that challenge and test our morals and beliefs, strengthening this way our belongingness. Although public discourse is often linked to political matters, any aspect of reality that pertains to the public, such as social norms, can be a subject of public discourse.

Thus, public discourse is a key phenomenon for promoting ideas to the general public and building a more educated population. Also, it is fundamental for creating and communicating inputs for decision-making processes, including those at political and legal levels in democratic contexts. Considering that public discourse has the power to inculcate bottom-up change, both at small and large scales, promoting a robust and fair public discourse is crucial to achieving justice in global issues including gender, social and environmental ones.

Currently, many consider that public discourse is in low spirits. On the one hand, the trend towards a more individualistic culture and the lack of civic spaces that encourage public discourse result in its scarcity. On the other hand, when public discourse takes place, it is impaired and often manipulated through mass media and disinformation. Last, the lack of empathy, humility and rules to ensure a fair debate only aggravate the situation. In this context, there is no doubt there is room to improve the way we communicate with each other, especially in the journey towards a social, ecological and gender-just world.

Ingredients

• Freedom of speech: allowing all voices to express their concerns is fundamental to have a fair and relevant public discourse.
• Empathy: empathy is essential for one to understand the feelings and opinions of other participants in a public discourse.
• Rules: to debate social, ecological and gender justice it is necessary to start by applying fairness in the discourse. Thus, setting up rules is the key element to ensure a just discussion and secure mutual respect.
• Accountability: online speech offers the possibility of being anonymous and of being exempt from consequences. Having the possibility of delivering a message without being recognised as the owner of it (i.e. being accountable) sets a favourable environment for social, ecological and gender discrimination situations.
• Media: it is currently the biggest shaper of public discourse in most societies around the world, even replacing technical sources of information as influencers of discourse. Depending on how it is offered and consumed, (social) media could act as the binding or divergent ingredient to achieve social, ecological and gender justice.

Preparation

1. Change the way and where we meet. Many philosophers are putting their hands in their heads when observing human social interactions in modern societies. As technology advances and society becomes more individualised, many of our exchanges are virtual, fast and empty. There is a need for public spaces that invite to be used and in which people organically come together. We need physical spaces that bring body language back as a communication channel and where we speak to real faces. We should start by recovering lost spaces as libraries, that have been popularised to attract more users rather than focusing on its function of iterating citizens. Also, we should recuperate written and audible spaces such as the radio, which is not fully à la carte and that gently invite us to explore topics that we wouldn’t otherwise.
2. Add a bit of ubuntu to make us all “die for” talking. As the ubuntu philosophy^[1] says, humanity is a quality we owe to each other and who we are is based on our interactions. Public discourse should be about engaging with others, rather than with their opinions and positions. Ensuring the human aspect is present in public discourse is fundamental for creating safe environments where we feel eager to debate. Especially, to invite people suffering different types of injustices (such as social repression, ecological unfairness or gender inequality) to speak for themselves and express their concerns. We need to welcome empathy and affection and to close doors to aggressive and confrontational attitudes.
3. Define the rules for a fair and square discourse. In general, games of more than one player have something in common: participants fight to win against each other. And, with no exception, games have rules to ensure the different sides enjoy equal opportunities of getting the trophy. Engaging in public discourse requires more time and energy than just attacking your “opponent”. To avoid a hostile environment in which the focus deviates from the debate, ground rules should be also implemented in public discourse. When justice is at the centre of the discourse, applying rules that ensure fairness and a respectful environment must be more pursued than ever.
4. Transform the enemy into your best ally. When we talk about communication, mass and social media always join the party. Mass media is a powerful tool that can negatively affect public discourse by, for example, disinforming citizens. Also, when communicating through social media, where a lot of the public discourse takes place, transparency and accountability are lacking. However, media can also bring great opportunities for public discourse, especially for global issues as social, ecological and gender justice. We should leverage online platforms for online activism as they have the power to make anything viral. Studies confirm that media shapes non-experts’ perceptions and discourses about topics like the environment (Carvalho, A., 2010; Tuitjer, L. and Dirksmeier, P., 2021).

[1] Ubuntu has its roots in humanist African philosophy and means “I am, because you are”. It lies on the idea that a person is a person through other people.

are lacking. However, media can also bring great opportunities for public discourse, especially for global issues as social, ecological and gender justice. We should leverage online platforms for online activism as they have the power to make anything viral. Studies confirm that media shapes non-experts’ perceptions and discourses about topics like the environment (Carvalho, A., 2010; Tuitjer, L. and Dirksmeier, P., 2021).