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Full-Text Articles in Ethics and Political Philosophy
Democracy And Scientific Expertise: Illusions Of Political And Epistemic Inclusion, J.D. Trout
Democracy And Scientific Expertise: Illusions Of Political And Epistemic Inclusion, J.D. Trout
Philosophy: Faculty Publications and Other Works
Realizing the ideal of democracy requires political inclusion for citizens. A legitimate democracy must give citizens the opportunity to express their attitudes about the relative attractions of different policies, and access to political mechanisms through which they can be counted and heard. Actual governance often aims not at accurate belief, but at nonepistemic factors like achieving and maintaining institutional stability, creating the feeling of government legitimacy among citizens, or managing access to influence on policy decision-making. I examine the traditional relationship between inclusiveness and accuracy, and illustrate this connection by discussing empirical work on how group decision-making can improve accuracy. …