Why Fairmind

Democracy depends on citizens who can engage thoughtfully with polarizing issues. Fairmind’s goal is to make that easier, so more people will.

The Problem

Public debate on important issues is dominated by advocacy rhetoric designed to persuade rather than to inform fairly. Facts are twisted to fit narratives. Nuance is lost to slogans. Each side is making its own case for its own purposes. This makes for a messy marketplace of ideas, not easily understandable in a fair-minded way.

There are a small number of sources that try to help by presenting both sides of the debate. These might take the form of pro-con lists, issue briefs, or journalistic explainers. But often they are mostly reporting each side’s talking points. This is helpful and straightforward, but it often leaves the reader to make sense of arguments that talk past each other, factual claims that contradict, and rhetoric that sounds good but misleads.

AI assistants should be able to help, and often they do. But trained on the distortions of public discourse, they can echo those distortions. Or, when attempting to provide balance, an AI can dilute valid arguments along with the invalid.

Our Approach

Fairmind creates guides that present polarizing issues fairly, accurately, and concisely. A Fairmind Guide:

Organizes an issue into a set of factors to consider, each with balanced arguments
Provides a set of example viewpoints that show how different values and priorities lead to different conclusions
Only uses verified facts with footnotes to reliable sources
Documents editorial choices, including what wasn’t included and why

Fairmind Guides are designed both for people to read and for third-party AIs to use in assisting people. Guides can help individuals form their own views or give groups a neutral, balanced framework for discussion.

See How Fairmind Guides Work for more details.

Vision

Fairmind is creating reliable, nonpartisan knowledge about democracy’s hard questions. Ultimately, we envision a fair-minded guide for every issue of consequence in public life. Although we’re at the beginning of that journey, every additional guide contributes value.

Get Involved

Fairmind is a public service project in its early stages. If you’re interested in supporting this work, getting involved as a volunteer, or simply sharing feedback, we’d love to hear from you.