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is not connected to left or right-wing politics but is intended to create a conversation among people

of different philosophies and beliefs. (http://peterlevine.ws/?p=4828)

As a method of collective decision-making, deliberation has five distinguishing conditions,

which have come to symbolize the primary tenets of this citizen-centered practice: universalism,

inclusivity, rationality, agreement, and political efficacy (Jacobs, Cook, & Carpini, 2009).

Similarly, Gutmann and Thompson (2004) espoused four purposes of deliberative democracy,

which include collective decision-making, public-spirited perspectives about issues affecting the

public, respectful decision-making process, and forum and environment for helping public officials

and the public in the process of amending and correcting collective decisions and actions. Cohen

(2007) supports five main features that comprise ideal deliberative democracy. His five ideals

stress independent structure and duration; free deliberation among equals; pluralist association of

individuals with divergent aims; strong connection between deliberation, outcomes, and action;

and acknowledgement and recognition among participants of shared capacities for action and

change. Multiple intersections exist between citizen centered practice and deliberative democracy,

including inclusivity and free deliberation among equals and agreement which leads to collective

decision-making. The term “moving to public judgment,” (Yankelovich, 1991, pp. 5-6) refers to

the process by which dialogue participant’s progress from tension and dialogue to some degree of

shared understanding.

Moving to Judgment (2011) is also the name of a follow-up book that expands upon

Yankelovich¹s seminal 1991 book, Coming to Public Judgment, which argued that people advance

through several distinct stages to form politically meaningful judgments about public issues.

Citizens must "work through" the temptation to opt for easy answers or engage in wishful thinking,

reconcile conflicting values, and come to terms with tough tradeoffs, before they can truly support

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