Skip to main content

Liberalism and the Problem of Knowledge: A New Rhetoric for Modern Democracy (New Practices of Inquiry)

$44.90 - $68.00
(No reviews yet) Write a Review
UPC:
9780226898469
Maximum Purchase:
2 units
Binding:
Paperback
Publication Date:
1996-08-01
Author:
Charles Arthur Willard
Language:
english
Edition:
1
Adding to cart… The item has been added

In this witty and provocative study of democracy and its critics, Charles Willard debunks liberalism, arguing that its exaggerated ideals of authenticity, unity, and community have deflected attention from the pervasive incompetence of the rule of experts. He proposes a ground of communication that emphasizes common interests rather than narrow disputes.

The problem of unity and the public sphere has driven a wedge between libertarians and communitarians. To mediate this conflict, Willard advocates a shift from the discourse of liberalism to that of epistemics. As a means of organizing the ebb and flow of consensus, epistemics regards democracy as a family of knowledge problemsas ways of managing discourse across differences and protecting multiple views.

Building a bridge between warring peoples and warring paradigms, this book also reminds those who presume to instruct government that they are obliged to enlighten it, and that to do so requires an enlightened public discourse.