Contemporary Politics and the Rush to Form Rudimentary Judgements

Judgements require us to separate ourselves from our object of study. It was the nineteenth century philosopher Brentano, who argued that all acts of consciousness are directed towards an object.2 In the broad context of politics, all of us make judgements and our engagement with others requires us to do so. In this discussion, I begin by differentiating two forms. First, those judgements that are made in haste, often without sufficient acknowledgement of responsibilities and second, more deliberative judgements. It is this second form of judgement that requires us to consider our own responsibilities. Most importantly, these are usually provisional and, so, subject to revision. In this discussion, I consider if there is a connection between the rush to judge and the current malaise in politics. I also ask whether the rush to judge is our way to expunge problematic feelings and absolve our responsibilities.