This book aims to change the way we think about politics, talk about politics, and vote.

It does this in two ways. First, it shows it's impossible for a Republican, Democrat, or voter in any political party to possess a significant level of knowledge of facts that would help their party secure or maintain political power. It calls this knowledge "political knowledge" and shows how unfeasible it is for anyone to have it. Second, it explains how we might best be politically engaged, given that we have virtually no political knowledge.

To argue that it is impossible for any person to possess a significant amount of political knowledge, the book depends on two empirically verified facts. The first is that we have virtually no means of acquiring political information except by believing what other people say. The second is that, when people start talking about politics, they become highly unreliable. They're very likely to say false things when voicing political opinions because they employ a belief-forming process that psychologists call "identity protective cognition." This is a type of reasoning aimed, not at truth, but at preserving one's membership in some identity-defining group. In combination, these two observations cast serious doubt on all of our political beliefs.

As the book explains, however, the proper response to this doubt is not to simply avoid politics. Rather the best response is a kind of humble but real engagement with politics that constantly manifests one's awareness that one is, at best, making educated guesses rather than speaking and acting from knowledge.

About the Author

Blake Roeber is the Thomas J. and Robert T. Rolfs Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame.

Reviews

"Written in an engaging and accessible style Roeber's Political Humility is an excellent example of the valuable contribution that empirically informed epistemology can make to public debate. Roeber convincingly argues that awareness of our unavoidable ignorance of a large proportion of politically relevant facts should not lead us to apathy but to more humble yet more effective political engagement."

- Alessandra Tanesini, Cardiff University

"Written in an engaging and accessible style, Roeber's Political Humility is an excellent example of the valuable contribution that empirically informed epistemology can make to public debate. Roeber convincingly argues that awareness of our unavoidable ignorance of a large proportion of politically relevant facts should not lead us to apathy but to more humble yet more effective political engagement." - Alessandra Tanesini, Cardiff University

"This is a superb book, one that deserves to be read widely by philosophers, political theorists, and social psychologists. Its central claim-that we, all of us, form our political beliefs in unreliable ways-is striking, but Roeber makes his case so carefully and even-handedly that it is hard to resist the conclusion. The writing is a joy to read-clear as a bell, lively, philosophically insightful, and full of interesting examples. It is one of the most important and valuable books I have read in a long time." - Stephen Grimm, Fordham University

Book Information
ISBN 9781032574783
Author Blake Roeber
Format Hardback
Page Count 181
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 453g