Can a Wise Society be Free? Gilbert, Group Knowledge and Democratic Theory

Ethics, Politics and Society 3:28-48 (2020)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Recently, Margaret Gilbert has argued that it appears that the wisdom of a society impinges, greatly, on its freedom. In this article, I show that Gilbert’s “negative argument” fails to be convincing. On the other hand, there are important lessons, particularly for democratic theory, that can be by looking carefully, and critically, at her argument. This article will proceed as follows. First, I present Gilbert’s argument. Next, I criticize her understanding of freedom, and then, using arguments from Christopher McMahon, criticize her understanding of a wise society. Finally, I discuss how what has been said can inform how one should think about democratic theory.

Author's Profile

Joshua Anderson
Virginia State University

Analytics

Added to PP
2020-07-14

Downloads
421 (#54,702)

6 months
140 (#29,374)

Historical graph of downloads since first upload
This graph includes both downloads from PhilArchive and clicks on external links on PhilPapers.
How can I increase my downloads?