UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In his book “The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth,” Jonathan Rauch argues that America is in an epistemic crisis as more and more people struggle to separate truth from falsehood and conspiracy theories from information grounded in fact.
Rauch, a senior fellow at Brookings and contributing writer at the Atlantic, will present a lecture on the book and what he describes as the “war on truth” at 5 p.m. Nov. 14 in 110 Business Building on the University Park campus. The event is sponsored by the McCourtney Institute for Democracy in the College of the Liberal Arts.
In the book, Rauch defines the constitution of knowledge as an “orderly, decentralized, and impersonal” system that depends heavily on social norms and rules to work properly. It rejects arbitrary authority and relies on institutions — journalistic, academic, scientific — to filter, organize and elevate the most promising theories and arguments in all fields.
He continues, “Those involved in truth-seeking develop “accepted standards and methods and vocabularies, so that even if checkers do not agree on particular propositions, they agree on what it is they are discussing and how to discuss it productively.”
In the lecture, Rauch will show who is behind the war on truth behind it and how it works. He’ll also argue that everyone has a role to play in promoting a culture of truth, pushing back against misinformation, and supporting democratic institutions.
McCourtney Institute for Democracy Managing Director Chris Beem said Rauch’s work is important to consider as the country heads into an election year.
Partisans routinely spin, and often, they even misrepresent themselves. But that isn’t the whole story. Without a shared commitment to the truth, democratic politics is unsustainable. Rauch shows why this is true, and what all of us can do to help us recapture that commitment.
Rauch’s lecture is free and open to the public. Visit democracy.psu.edu/events for more information.