Road to Wisdom Pledge
The following pledge was developed by Dr. Francis Collins and featured in his book The Road to Wisdom: On Truth, Science, Faith, and Trust.
Collins is a member of Braver Angels, the nation’s largest grassroots organization addressing political polarization, and co-investigator of the Truth and Trust Project at Braver Angels, an effort by a diverse group of Americans whose opinions differ on the federal government’s response to the pandemic and agree that we can learn from the COVID-19 pandemic to better address a next pandemic.
Wilk Wilkinson, co-investigator with Collins of the Truth and Trust Project and host of Derate the Hate Podcast, is the first signatory to the pledge. Wilkinson and Collins disagree on many aspects of COVID policy, but agree that we can disagree respectfully and build trust moving forward.
To learn more how you can get involved in efforts to address polarization, see the resources below.
Sign The Pledge
I pledge that from this day forward I will seek to be part of the solution to our society’s widespread divisiveness, which is hurting individuals, families, communities, our nation, and our world.
I will actively seek out opportunities to engage in dialogue with those who have different views from mine; by respectful listening, I will strive to understand their perspectives better, to identify our shared deeper values, and to build a bridge across the gap that has divided us.
When sifting incoming information, I will seek to be a wise consumer. Taking into account my own biases, I will carefully assess the plausibility of the claim as well as the integrity, competence, and humility of the source, in order to decide whether the information is likely to be trustworthy.
I will resist the temptation to speak about, write about, or share on social media information that claims to be true but is of uncertain validity.
I will bring a generous spirit to all my interpersonal interactions, refusing to ascribe evil intentions to others simply because of different political or societal beliefs. I will be slow to take offense. Loving my neighbor will be my goal.
Bonus: Signatories of the pledge who are new to Braver Angels will be given an opportunity to join America’s largest grassroots, bipartisan depolarization movement as members for free for one year.
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Resources
Learn About The
Braver Angels Experience
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Local Group in Your Area
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in Your Area
Truth and Trust Project: Building Trust between Ordinary Citizens and Public Health
The Truth and Trust Project at Braver Angels is an effort to build trust, foster respect, and bridge divides among people who have different views on pandemic public health policies, including those implemented for Covid and those under consideration for future outbreaks.
Can We Fix What COVID Broke?
How do you talk about a monster of an issue when the two sides are so far apart? In her podcast A Braver Way, Mónica Guzmán brings together two unlikely guests to find out: Dr. Francis Collins, a man who helped shape the U.S. COVID response (and was Dr. Fauci’s boss!), and Travis Tripodi, a New Hampshire resident who believes that response was deeply wrong and misguided.
The Road to Wisdom: On Truth, Science, Faith, and Trust
A new book by Francis S. Collins, including a description of his conversations with members of Braver Angels, the nation’s largest grassroots organization working to bridge the partisan divide.