Jonathan Rauch, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and author of The Constitution of Knowledge, dives into the pressing issue of the epistemic crisis. He discusses Plato's Theaetetus and how manipulation shapes our understanding of truth in politics. Rauch advocates for the Constitution of Knowledge to nurture a reality-based community, highlighting the significance of free speech for minority voices. He also examines the impacts of social media on misinformation and the necessity for structured debate to uphold truth in our polarized society.
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volunteer_activism ADVICE
Social Funnel of Knowledge
The social funnel of knowledge encourages diverse hypotheses at the wide end and applies rigorous fact-checking at the narrow end.
Be open to making and correcting mistakes and follow established protocols for validating facts.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Challenge Your Own Ideas
Be ruthless in challenging your own ideas and seeking falsifying evidence.
While personal discipline is important, science benefits from both dogmatic belief and external criticism.
insights INSIGHT
Internet's Impact on Gatekeeping
The internet reduces gatekeeping, presenting both opportunities and challenges.
While facilitating access to information, it also makes it easier to spread disinformation and harder to filter quality content.
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Jim talks with Jonathan Rauch about the ideas in his book The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth. They discuss the epistemic crisis, Plato's Theaetetus, Trump & propaganda techniques, the Constitution of Knowledge as a framework for epistemics, the "marketplace of ideas" metaphor, the reality-based community, the personal-institutional spiral, the social funnel of knowledge, social media's impact on epistemics, advertising vs subscription models, meme space pollution, the anti-vax movement, the importance of free speech to the gay rights movement, recommendations for defending truth, supporting institutions, speaking out against misinformation, maintaining viewpoint diversity, and much more.
Episode Links
The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth, by Jonathan Rauch
Plato's Theaetetus
Heterodox Academy
JRS EP273 - Gregg Henriques on the Unified Theory of Knowledge
Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality, by Renée DiResta
Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy, by Jonathan Rauch
Jonathan Rauch, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, is the author of eight books and many articles on public policy, culture, and government. He is a contributing writer for The Atlantic and recipient of the 2005 National Magazine Award, the magazine industry’s equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize. His latest book, published in 2021 by the Brookings Press, is The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth, a spirited and deep-diving account of how to push back against disinformation, canceling, and other new threats to our fact-based epistemic order.
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