The Defense of Truth
The Constitution of Knowledge
The Constitution of Knowledge
of knowledge) that we can understand the tragedy befalling us now…”
―Dr. Jonathan Haidt, author of “The Righteous Mind”
Facilitated by Aaron Sharockman, Executive Director of Politifact, based at the Poynter Institute.
Online trolls and political disinformation. Cancel culture and Twitter pile-ons. We’re living in a time when truth itself is under perpetual assault by growing numbers of our fellow citizens (and more than a few Russian bots) who simply don’t want to believe anything that they — well — didn’t already want to believe. This rising tide of illiberalism from across the political spectrum has many of us yammering on until we turn blue about respectful disagreement and the marketplace of ideas. But what if defenders of truth are missing the most fundamental conceptual revolution at the very core of this American experiment and the enlightenment — of western civilization itself? Jonathan Rauch connects our past to our present challenge as he introduces us to “The Constitution of Knowledge” — the extraordinary system of how we flawed humans gain knowledge that scales and endures. Rauch argues we must know the constitution of knowledge exists if we are to have any hope of defending it.
Rauch, one of the most brilliant minds of our time, was the first to see the culture shift against free speech that has now overtaken American college campuses — which he captured prophetically in Kindly Inquisitors: The New Attacks on Free Thought (written way back in 1995). Similarly, you will feel the ground shift under your feet as you come to understand how we know what we know, and the extraordinary gift of a system for finding truth that is the very center of gravity of the world we live in.
Read More
This frame-shifting conversation is offered in partnership with Florida Humanities as a part of a multi-year series “Unum: Democracy Reignited,” exploring the past, present and future of the American idea — as it exists on paper, in the hearts of our people, and as it manifests in our lives.
We’re delighted to welcome streaming partners PolitiFact, USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future, Common Ground Committee, Civil Squared, Network for Responsible Public Policy, Citizen Connect, Center for the Humanities at University of Miami, Tallahassee Democrat and WFSU Public Media. We thank The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for their generous support of this program and the Pulitzer Prizes for their partnership.
This is Jon’s 2nd visit to The Village Square — catch our last conversation with him in 2016 on “Free Speech (in the age of political correctness and bad manners)” here. Pick up a copy of “The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth” and join us on November 4th for an important conversation you won’t soon forget. If you’re in Tallahassee, visit Midtown Reader and mention The Village Square to receive a 15% discount off your purchase.
READ LESS
UNUM is presented in partnership with Florida Humanities
We are proud to be in our fourth year of “UNUM: Democracy Reignited” programming, made possible in partnerships with Florida Humanities with support from National Endowment for the Humanities. (Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.)
The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth
We kill bad ideas, not each other. Jonathan Rauch has written a book that helps us understand the extraordinary and complex interacting system that spans western civilization that has allowed us to acquire knowledge — and stop killing each other over disagreements.
With streaming partners
