Socratic dialogues on cities, cooperation
Polekon is organizing socratic dialogues on 'The functional order of cities' and 'The architecture of cooperation'.
Also, a new cohort of political economy of development - a 4-week workshop on economic development - is starting April 5th.
About socratic dialogues
Socratic dialogues are guided conversations where participants explore ideas, develop habits of critical thinking and practice effective habits of communication.
This is a unique kind of conversation where asking "why?" isn't confrontational but rather opens a path to deeper understanding. Through sustained, structured dialogue, participants develop not just knowledge but the habits of mind essential for clear thinking - careful listening, precise speaking, examining assumptions, and tracing the roots of their opinions.
The functional order of cities
Cities shape our daily lives in profound ways, yet the principles that make them vibrant or lifeless, safe or dangerous, remain poorly understood. This program brings together two of the most insightful critics of urban planning and state simplification - Jane Jacobs and James C. Scott - to explore what makes cities work, why certain forms of planning fail, and how we might better balance the needs for both spontaneous vitality and planning in our cities.
Time: 5pm - 7pm
Dates: Sundays, April 12, 19, 26 and May 3, 2025
Learn more
The architecture of cooperation
There's a tendency to attribute all that is orderly to laws and legislations that must have made it so, and similarly attribute all that is disorderly to their absence or weak enforcement. But the machinery that enables the deep cooperation that is the defining characteristic of modern life has multiple gears; it is a mistake to attribute ubiquitous honesty to the single lever of state power.
We'll explore the architecture of cooperation - the hierarchy of instincts, norms and formal institutions that support cooperation in our modern world.
Time: 5pm - 7pm
Dates: Sundays, April 13, 20, 27, May 4 and 11, 2025
Learn more
Political economy of development
The workshop blends theory and history to provide a framework for thinking about India's economic development. It starts with the basics of economic growth, examines India's development path, and contrasts it with Taiwan, one of the rare success stories of the 20th century.
The full course outline is available on the course platform. Learn more about the workshop here.
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