Citation

Talisse RB. Inquiry (Oslo) 2022; 65(1): 15-26.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/0020174X.2018.1502933

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This essay covers two criticisms of Brennan's Against Democracy. The first charges that the public political ignorance findings upon which Brennan relies are not epistemically nuanced to the degree required by his argument. The second covers an internal difficulty with his trio of political personae, hobbits, Vulcans, and hooligans. As it is part of the nature of hooligans to take themselves to be Vulcans, any epistocratic arrangement that does not favor the hooligans' perspectives will be met by them with hostility. Thus, it is not clear whether any epistocratic order could be stable if Brennan's tripartite scheme of political personalities is correct. Finally, the paper raises the possibility that Brennan's favored forms of epistocracy are ultimately not truly anti-democratic at all, but rather forms of democracy epistemic enhancement.

Language: en

Keywords

Brennan, Jason; democracy; epistocracy; political ignorance