Knowledge, Ignorance, and Democracy
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| PHIL3028 | Philosophy | 3 | 20 | Autumn UK |
- Code
- PHIL3028
- School
- Philosophy
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Autumn UK
Summary
This module investigates issues at the intersection of epistemology and political philosophy. It will start by exploring the fraught relationship between politics and truth. It will then cover a range of topics such as: political disagreement and polarization; fake news, misinformation, and propaganda; ignorance and irrationality in politics; epistemic virtues and vices in politics; the role of trust and expertise in a democracy; and epistemic defences of (and challenges to) democracy. Some of the central questions we will attempt to answer are: Are voters morally or epistemically obligated to vote responsibly? Should the existence of widespread disagreement in politics make us less confident in our own views? Is it rational for citizens to base their political views on group identity rather than reasoned arguments? Should we have beliefs about complex policy questions about which we are not experts? Is democracy the best form of government for getting at the truth?
Target Students
Third year single honours and joint honours Philosophy students. Also available to Liberal Arts students in their final year who have completed either PHIL1012 or PHIL1013. Also available to exchange students.
Classes
- One 1-hour seminar each week for 10 weeks
- One 2-hour lecture each week for 10 weeks
Assessment
- 50% Coursework 1: One 2500 word essay
- 50% Coursework 2: One 2500 word essay
Assessed by end of autumn semester
Educational Aims
This module aims to give students a comprehensive overview to the field of political epistemology, and to foster critical and systematic thinking about the ways in which the analytic and conceptual tools of epistemology bear on political philosophy, and vice versa.Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
By the end of this module you should be able to:
- understand and demonstrate a clear grasp of the main positions in the philosophical debates covered by the module.
Intellectual skills
By the end of this module you should be able to:
- Identify the underlying issues in the debates discussed.
- Analyse the structure of complex and controversial problems, with an understanding of major strategies of reasoning designed to solve such problems.
- Read carefully and interpret texts drawn from a variety of sources, with sensitivity to context.
- Recognise and judge for yourself the strengths and weaknesses of arguments on both sides of each philosophical issue.
Practical Skills
By the end of this module you should be able to:
- Identify textually-based arguments and subject their structure and implications to rigorous assessment.
- Understand the relevant specialist philosophical terminology and be able to use it properly.
- Review unfamiliar ideas with an open mind and a willingness to change one’s mind when appropriate.
Transferable skills
By the end of this module you should be able to:
- Express views on philosophical issues clearly and concisely in writing.
- Participate effectively and appropriately in constructive debate on relevant issues.
- Work autonomously and manage your own work to time limits.
- Marshal a complex body of information, construct cogent arguments in the evaluation of this material, and present a clear and well-structured assessment of relevant considerations.
- Think creatively, self-critically and independently about new and unfamiliar problems.