Discussions

Wise Institutions

A Statement from the Center

On May 25, 2020, the image of a white police officer with his knee on the neck of a black man became an icon of racism in the United States.  This has become fuel for the fire of outrage about institutional racism. This is not a metaphor or symbol, but the reality black Americans have experienced often, tragically realized when Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd. 

If Mr. Floyd's dying words, "I can't breathe" harkened only to Eric Garner being killed by a police officer in New York City that would be awful enough, but these words were uttered by at least 70 people who died from law enforcement over the past 10 years. Worse still these last words resonate deeply and broadly with the lynching of black men and women in the United States for more than 400 years.  If that weren’t enough, the action of kneeling on Floyd's neck all too cruelly mocked Colin Kaepernick's protest of taking a knee in the NFL against police brutality.

As we face these challenging times, compounded by a pandemic growing out of control, we need more than individual wisdom or wisdom in specific situations, we need our public institutions to have wisdom. We cannot allow the continued injustice imposed by the institutions that govern us. Is the abuse of police force and the pervasive manifestation of systemic racism in institutions a consequence of being empowered by those institutions? Psychological science and social science suggest how the power of institutions can lead to and maintain unjust treatment.

The power of situations shapes responses 

Zimbardo's (1973) highly flawed, hugely controversial, and well publicized Stanford Prison Experiment supported the argument that authoritarian roles lead to abuses of power including physical abuse.  Milgram's (1963) controversial electric shock experiments were argued to demonstrate the extremes to which authority could produce an excess of detrimental behavior in punishing someone for arbitrary reasons. 

Research has long argued that the institution of law enforcement and the roles for police can facilitate aggressive even murderous behavior that is unwarranted and leaves communities unsafe. Futterman's research  on police practices raises important questions about the way in which the police handle such incidents expose substantial problems. Eberhardt's (2014) research used big data to illuminate evidence of racial disparities in a police department leading to recommendations for change in police systems.

When the President of the United States opposes the First Amendment by calling for the punishment of NFL players peacefully protesting police brutality or when he supports the open carry of assault weapons and discrimination of businesses against minorities as forms of  freedom of expression, he sends a clear message of institutional support for racism.  Messages from the President to dominate the streets during protests, to shoot looters, and to turn the military out to suppress protest emphasizes the disregard for the meaning of the First Amendment and further endorses systemic racism. 

The lip service given to law and order, albeit short sighted and unthoughtful, suggests a false tension between the institutional role of police in serving/protecting the public and the institutional role of enforcing the law.  There is a difference between what seem like smart choices in the short term (e.g., stop looting) or clever political choices (e.g., pander to a political group) and wise reasoning in which there is a moral and ethical consideration of long and short term consequences and the need to reflect empathically on the very different perspectives of all stakeholders.  However, we often focus on individual wise reasoning rather than institutional wisdom, such as the acts of Houston Police Chief Acevedo and Camden County Police Chief Wysocki joining protestors rather than dominating them. Do individual acts reflect institutional wisdom for the respective police departments or individual wisdom of their chiefs? When military leaders actively denounce the government use of the armed forces to intimidate peaceful protest, this cooperative exhibition may be a sign of institutional wisdom in the face of other institutional forces.  Perhaps this is a time to seek greater institutional wisdom more broadly.

What is institutional wisdom?

The basic tenants for institutional wisdom mirror those for individual wisdom. This would mean that institutions, such as the police, the military, the legislature, the judiciary or the Presidency, need to have epistemic humility, an understanding of their own knowledge and limitations.  Though institutions and their governance do not have all the answers, they do have some expertise.  Thus, institutions need a diversity of views and need to draw on the experiences of those with other forms of expertise to inform policy decisions.

This also means institutions need to be able to listen to and truly hear the perspective of others.  Instead of judging others' perspective as being wrong, they need to seek to understand the goals and values of others and take into account how specific decisions can help or hurt different constituencies. A wise institution needs to reflect on the choices and values that are the commitments underlying policy and how those values are grounded in guiding principles, such as the Constitution.  While it is always possible to give lip service to the simple wording of those principles, a commitment to values needs to be deeply thoughtful in respect of all the perspectives therein affected. 

Wise institutions do not need to have a single wise leader, although it certainly would help.  Research on group cognition suggests that group reasoning can transcend the psychological limitations of any one person.  This means that wise reasoning can emerge when the governing body of an institution works to have epistemic humility, understand the value commitments of diverse perspectives, and take time to reflect on and challenge the choices and values of the institution in order to take into account the short and long term consequences of a policy.

Such institutions may be able to develop policies that are wiser, but perhaps also develop policies which lead to wiser choices among the constituents affected by those policies.  A wise institution should be able to make policies that lead to the betterment of those affected by said policies such as improving the way the police serve and protect communities or if need be, considering alternatives to policing altogether such as defunding initiatives or police abolition.

A wise institution might also be able to establish policies which lead to wiser police officers, who themselves can take the perspective of the communities in which they work, who can reflect on their own values and the values of those in the communities, and can consider how actions in the short term may have long term consequences for the well-being of all.

If we are able to approach change with epistemic humility, with reflection, and with thorough perspective taking, we should be able to arrive at wiser institutional systems. No matter the path we take, the ongoing racial violence against black and brown citizens can no longer be tolerated. This conversation cannot be set aside for another few years. It’s time to reimagine what safety means to ensure liberty and justice for all.

Taking Action

The University of Chicago has recently released its plans to further build a stronger, more inclusive community including developing anti-racism programs, establishing a seed fund for research related to racism and inequality, and strengthening its relationship with the Chicago South Side community in which we reside. Read President Zimmer’s statement here.

Visit the University of Chicago’s Consortium on School Research to engage with current and historical works for self-education and identify organizations to support.

Visit University of Chicago Diversity & Inclusion to catch up on the UChicago  diversity and inclusion campus initiatives.

Visit the University of Chicago’s Center for Identity + Inclusion to find out more on UChicago engagement with students and the broader community.

Contact Members of Congress to support the House Resolution (H.Res.988) to denounce police violence

For a limited time, watch the film “The Science of Wisdom”, a documentary, produced with support from the Center for Practical Wisdom, on concepts of wisdom and community engagement.

Visit the American Civil Liberties Union page to support efforts in racial justice, voting rights, criminal law reform, and much more.

Access free resources on structural racism and police violence through SAGE Journals.