Geiselhart K (2020)
Publication Language: English
Publication Type: Book chapter / Article in edited volumes
Publication year: 2020
Publisher: Manchester University Press
Edited Volumes: The power of pragmatism: Knowledge production and social inquiry
City/Town: Manchester
Pages Range: 139-156
ISBN: 978-1-5261-3494-3
URI: https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526134943/
While scientists protest publicly against right-wing populists bending truths as if it were a self-evident public concern, humanists and social scientists are remarkably quiet. This is not surprising given the ascendancy of post-structural arguments about the politics of knowledge and the social construction of truth. This chapter explores the conundrum facing social scientists and argues that pragmatism can provide resources for finding a way forward. By formulating specific criteria by means of which theories and truths can be compared and evaluated, pragmatist epistemology positions the academic as a social advisor or mediator. Moreover, on the basis of pragmatic democratic theory, it can be argued that people, even if they take agonistic positions, are nevertheless capable of agreeing on productive ideas for the future. In this spirit, academic criticism should be understood not only as opposition but also as meditation. Rather than just opposing dominant thinking, it suggests that the academic has a duty to engage in a more positive vein, contributing to the decisions that are taken by mediatingbetween different positions and points of view.
APA:
Geiselhart, K. (2020). Truth and academia in times of fake news, alternative facts and filter bubbles: A pragmatist notion of critique as mediation. In Jane Wills; Robert Lake (Eds.), The power of pragmatism: Knowledge production and social inquiry. (pp. 139-156). Manchester: Manchester University Press.
MLA:
Geiselhart, Klaus. "Truth and academia in times of fake news, alternative facts and filter bubbles: A pragmatist notion of critique as mediation." The power of pragmatism: Knowledge production and social inquiry. Ed. Jane Wills; Robert Lake, Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2020. 139-156.
BibTeX: Download