Annual McMurry Lecture Professor Alexandra Oprea How to Be a Good Democratic Citizen

The Fall 2025 McMurry Lecturer is Alexandra Oprea, from the University at Buffalo program in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. Professor Oprea will speak on Monday, October 20, at 3:30 PM. in 5-100 on the Brighton Campus.  

How to be a Good Democratic Citizen

What does it mean to be a good democratic citizen? What kind of civic education prepares people to fulfill their democratic role well? And are there democratic reforms that can make it easier to be a good democratic citizen? I will defend an answer to this question that should appeal to citizens with a variety of political views. In particular, I argue that a good democratic citizen prioritizes the continuation of their democracy — sometimes above other cherished values or policies that they would like to see implemented. This turns out to have important implications for how one should vote, how one ought to discuss politics (in person and on social media), and how one ought to act within one's social group and community more broadly.