Dr. Robert Talisse is an American philosopher and political theorist. He is the chair of the philosophy department and is a political science professor here at Vanderbilt University. He was formerly the editor of the Public Affairs Quarterly journal and contributor of the 3 Quarks Daily blog. At the moment, Talisse is finishing the final book of a three-part series dealing with the moral responsibilities of democratic citizenship. The book is titled Civic Solitude which explores the civic values of solitude. Talisse has also published many other books such as Why We Argue (And How We Should), Pluralism and Liberal Politics, and many more. Talisse and I talk about the importance of precision in words, how to become better at arguing, and how democracy helps us find meaning in life.