Virtual Event: the Epistemology of Democracy with Art Goldhammer

Register here for a virtual conversation with Art Goldhammer on the Epistemology of Democracy: Authority, Anti-Elitism, and the Media. The event begins at 6:00 pm CDT today, April 20th, 2021, and is hosted by the Collegiate Social Sciences Division at the University of Chicago.

Populism is often characterized as a revolt against elite or technocratic governance. But even populists come to believe in authorities of their own choosing. The media—both traditional and alternative, institutional and social—play a key role, reflecting and/or shaping the beliefs of millions, on which democratic political decisions depend. This conversation will take up the role of elites in mediating democratic passions and restricting or enabling tyrannical majorities, as discussed in Tocqueville’s Democracy in America, with an eye to developments in contemporary democracy here in the US and around the world.

Panelists include:
Jennifer Pitts, Political Science
Eric Slauter, English
James Wilson, Political Science
Natasha Piano, Classics of Social and Political Thought

Panel discussion to be followed by open Q&A.