Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsEpistemic Crisis Defined
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2021
Clearly and masterfully written, Jonathan Rauch’s The Constitution of Knowledge is about the breakdown of truth-seeking norms in a world of polarization. We no longer turn to experts, peer-reviewed sources, and credible media to mediate our news. Our crisis is that different factions don’t want truth found through morality or humility or reality-seeking norms; they want to win and beat their opponents. Finding knowledge is about seeking truth. Our political battle and polarization are about winning.
This polarization exists on the Right and Left and both exist and are strengthened by each other in a symbiotic relationship. As Rauch writes:
“One is predominantly right-wing and populist, the other predominantly left-wing and elitist. One employs chaos and confusion, the other conformity and social coercion. But their goals are similar and often, weirdly, they act as de facto allies.”
Both contribute to the demise of liberal democracy. As Rauch observes: “What troll culture and cancel culture have in common is that they are techniques of what propaganda experts often call information warfare. Rather than using traditional persuasion to seek truth, they manipulate the social and media environments for political advantage.”
This is a great book, but I don’t see political tribalists with an agenda reading this book, so sadly Rauch will be preaching to the choir: thoughtful intellectuals, independent thinkers, moral, decent human beings. Sadly, such people need to be in bigger numbers. Otherwise, the “epistemic crisis” that Rauch explores will only get worse.
One important point. You will find people steeped in the fever swamp of misinformation rebuking Rauch's book by using Russian talking points and thereby supporting Rauch's argument, but of course we can find little consolation in this as we are horrified by watching our democracy disintegrate before our eyes.
