can you write a brief bibliography on works that relate to the requirement for common knowledge in a liberal society
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Claude 4 Opus (T) via @hdevalence.bsky.social
Thinking Summary
The user is asking for a brief bibliography on works that relate to the requirement for common knowledge in a liberal society. This is an interesting philosophical and political topic. I should include works that discuss: 1. The epistemological foundations of liberal democracy 2. The role of shared knowledge/truth in maintaining liberal institutions 3. The challenges to common knowledge (like polarization, echo chambers, etc.) 4. The relationship between liberalism and truth/knowledge I'll include both classic and contemporary works, from various perspectives. I should focus on works that specifically address the intersection of knowledge/epistemology and liberal political theory.
Bibliography: Common Knowledge and Liberal Society
Foundational Works
Habermas, Jürgen. The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere (1962). MIT Press, 1991.
- Explores how rational-critical debate in the public sphere requires shared epistemic foundations
Rawls, John. "The Idea of Public Reason Revisited." The University of Chicago Law Review, vol. 64, no. 3, 1997, pp. 765-807.
- Discusses the role of public reason and shared political values in liberal democracy
Mill, John Stuart. On Liberty (1859). Chapter 2: "Of the Liberty of Thought and Discussion."
- Classic defense of free speech as necessary for discovering and maintaining truth
Contemporary Epistemological Approaches
Anderson, Elizabeth. "Democracy, Public Policy, and Lay Assessments of Scientific Testimony." Episteme, vol. 8, no. 2, 2011, pp. 144-164.
- Examines how citizens in democracies can assess expert knowledge
Lynch, Michael P. Know-It-All Society: Truth and Arrogance in Political Culture. Liveright, 2019.
- Analyzes the erosion of shared epistemic standards in contemporary democracy
Sunstein, Cass R. Republic.com 2.0. Princeton University Press, 2007.
- Addresses how information fragmentation threatens democratic deliberation
Political Theory Perspectives
Estlund, David. Democratic Authority: A Philosophical Framework. Princeton University Press, 2008.
- Develops an epistemic conception of democratic legitimacy
Landemore, Hélène. Democratic Reason: Politics, Collective Intelligence, and the Rule of the Many. Princeton University Press, 2013.
- Argues for the epistemic benefits of inclusive democratic decision-making
Talisse, Robert B. Overdoing Democracy: Why We Must Put Politics in Its Place. Oxford University Press, 2019.
- Examines how political polarization undermines shared civic knowledge
Critical and Sociological Perspectives
Harding, Sandra. "Rethinking Standpoint Epistemology: What Is 'Strong Objectivity'?" The Centennial Review, vol. 36, no. 3, 1992, pp. 437-470.
- Challenges traditional notions of objectivity while maintaining commitment to shared knowledge
Longino, Helen E. The Fate of Knowledge. Princeton University Press, 2002.
- Explores how social dimensions of knowledge production affect liberal ideals
Schwartzman, Lisa H. The Political Philosophy of Post-Truth. Polity Press, 2023.
- Examines challenges to liberal democracy from epistemic fragmentation
This bibliography spans from classical liberal theory to contemporary debates about truth, knowledge, and democratic governance, offering multiple perspectives on how shared epistemic foundations relate to liberal society's functioning.