Strategies for solving social problems can be divided into two broad categories: technical and behavioral. Arts leaders understand the importance of addressing behavior change since it is at the heart of social transformation.
GLI Fellows learn to identify a social problem, acknowledging that a good problem description focuses on an aspect of a social reality we want to change while also understanding the importance of brainstorming to recreate divergent views on social problems. This exercise is very helpful to understand how others might experience a social problem, and it is also critical for envisioning future roadblocks to guiding behavior toward an ultimate outcome.
In the interest of doing well and doing good for our communities, we must reckon that certain divergent notions of right and wrong are at work; these are entangled with complications of particular social contexts. It may be tempting to think of social problems in terms of maxims, universal principles we believe to share with everyone else, but this approach is limited and invites stunting disagreements. Is there a promise of convergence in these differing views? Kwame Anthony Appiah observes that the limit to divergence lies in the urgent need for action:
“It can be very hard to identify the maxim that you are acting on – it is often much clearer what we should do than why… when the issue is what to do, differences in what we think and feel can fall away. (…) Indeed, our political coexistence, as subjects or citizens, depends on being able to agree on practices while disagreeing about the justification.”
In light of this text, our work towards social change could be read as a contribution towards the best civic coexistence possible. While our personal experiences may interfere with the definition of the social problem at hand, it is ultimately our unique view that will herald innovative solutions. ▣
