Democracy: An Epistemological Trap
Our episteme, the knowledge that serves as the foundation for all of our knowledge, ultimately extends from the larger, socially constructed basis. Prejudice, religion, values and even science: all ultimately extend from perceived truths that have become part of the larger concept of “truth”. I state this point to lead to the question I want to ask today: does the democratic political process serve to limit our own knowledge? The answer, simply, is yes.
A Democratic process of any sort relies on the foundation of simple sets of decisions. These decisions serve to categorize and ultimately reflect the established episteme and are constructed to produce specific outcomes and likelyhoods. By making these specific decisions (deciding on a ballot measure or choosing a candidate) we are expecting a specific outcome (like lowering taxes or continuing social security). These outcomes, though, are merely an epistemological trap. The electorate (the democratic decision makers in any society), ultimately make specific decisions for specific results. By choosing candidate (a) an electorate expects an outcome different from choosing candidate (b). What voting individuals ultimately fail to grasp is that neither candidate has sure outcomes and an ability to verify the truth behind “rhetoric”.
This notion of “rhetoric” is where the trap truly occurs. Ultimately, any policy (or set of policies, i.e. a candidate) is founded on the “rhetoric” that must be produced to insure the expected decision must be made. The words and images that are associated with policies and candidates are ultimately developed to produce an ideal decision for those voting. Someone in the electorate makes decision a.) to hopefully receive outcome b.). Because the “rhetoric” much match and conform established episteme, policy is limited to the words used to gain the necessary decision from the electorate. The words limit the understanding of an actual outcome. By doing this, the ability to make decisions outside of established episteme is impossible. With this said the participants in a Democracy find themselves in an epistemological trap, since they have to rely on established epistemes to make and form any decision.
Our episteme, the knowledge that serves as the foundation for all of our knowledge, ultimately extends from the larger, socially constructed basis. Prejudice, religion, values and even science: all ultimately extend from perceived truths that have become part of the larger concept of “truth”. I state this point to lead to the question I want to ask today: does the democratic political process serve to limit our own knowledge? The answer, simply, is yes.
A Democratic process of any sort relies on the foundation of simple sets of decisions. These decisions serve to categorize and ultimately reflect the established episteme and are constructed to produce specific outcomes and likelyhoods. By making these specific decisions (deciding on a ballot measure or choosing a candidate) we are expecting a specific outcome (like lowering taxes or continuing social security). These outcomes, though, are merely an epistemological trap. The electorate (the democratic decision makers in any society), ultimately make specific decisions for specific results. By choosing candidate (a) an electorate expects an outcome different from choosing candidate (b). What voting individuals ultimately fail to grasp is that neither candidate has sure outcomes and an ability to verify the truth behind “rhetoric”.
This notion of “rhetoric” is where the trap truly occurs. Ultimately, any policy (or set of policies, i.e. a candidate) is founded on the “rhetoric” that must be produced to insure the expected decision must be made. The words and images that are associated with policies and candidates are ultimately developed to produce an ideal decision for those voting. Someone in the electorate makes decision a.) to hopefully receive outcome b.). Because the “rhetoric” much match and conform established episteme, policy is limited to the words used to gain the necessary decision from the electorate. The words limit the understanding of an actual outcome. By doing this, the ability to make decisions outside of established episteme is impossible. With this said the participants in a Democracy find themselves in an epistemological trap, since they have to rely on established epistemes to make and form any decision.
-Mark Brinton
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