Public Choice vs. Deliberative Democracy

Rational Choice defines 'rationality' as a hierarchical ordering of preferences. Public Choice applies this economic rationality to voting and politics. But the deliberative democracy of Rawls and Habermas is not a market good. It is concerned with the debate leading up to a decision in the market or in politics, which can inspire us to redefine the common goods that shape our lives, perhaps reprioritizing our preferences. A market transaction is never made if one changes one's mind halfway through the purchase. But Rawls and Habermas think there are no moral facts until constructed by their procedure of deliberation. So as an alternative, I look at the eclectic epistemology of virtue realism as a means of analyzing today's culture war of misinformation.