Description
In American politics, the truth is rapidly losing relevance. The public square is teeming with misinformation, conspiracy theories, cynicism, and hubris. Why has this happened? What does it mean? What can we do about it? In this volume, leading scholars offer multiple perspectives on these questions, and many more, to provide the first comprehensive empirical examination of the "politics of truth" -- its context, causes, and potential correctives. With experts in social science weighing in, this volume examines different drivers such as the dynamics of politically motivated fact perceptions.Combining insights from the fields of political science, political theory, communication, and psychology and offering substantial new arguments and evidence, these chapters draw compelling -- if sometimes competing -- conclusions regarding this rising democratic threat.
Table of Contents
IntroductionThe Politics of Truth in Polarized America: Contexts, Concepts, Causes, and Correctives.Elizabeth Suhay, David C. Barker, and Ryan DeTamblePart I: Context & Concepts1. Neither Dogmatism Nor Relativism: Lessons from the Politics of Truth in Western PhilosophyAlan Levine2. Lies, Damn Lies, and DemocracyRobert Shapiro3. The Social Function of News and (Mis)Information UseBenjamin Toff4. The Expressive Value of Answering Survey QuestionsMatthew H. Graham and Gregory A. Huber5. American Hubris: The Politics of Unwarranted Epistemic Certitude in the United StatesDavid C. Barker, Morgan Marietta, and Ryan DeTamblePart II: Causes6. The Psychology of Groups and the Politics of MisinformationMichael Bang Petersen, Mathias Osmundsen, and John Tooby7. Political Sub-Groups, Knowledge, and Information: Gun Issues and Gun OwnershipDonald Haider-Markel, Abigail Vegter, and Patrick Gauding8. Value Projection and the Marketplace of RealitiesDavid C. Barker and Morgan Marietta9. Conspiracy Theories and Political IdentitiesAdam Enders and Joseph Uscinski10. Conspiracy Stress or Relief? Learned Helplessness and Conspiratorial ThinkingChristina E. Farhart, Joanne M. Miller, and Kyle L. SaundersPart III: Correctives11. Opinion Formation in Light of the Facts: How Correcting Mistaken Beliefs about Income Inequality Affects Public Support for RedistributionCheryl Boudreau and Scott A. MacKenzie12. Can Facts Change Minds? The Case of Free TradeEthan Porter and Thomas Wood13. Do Facts Change Public Attitudes toward Fiscal Policy?John Sides14. Authoritarianism, Fact-Checking, and Citizens' Response to Presidential Election InformationAmanda Wintersieck15. Combatting the Anti-Muslim Rhetoric of the 2016 Presidential Campaign: An Experimental Investigation of the Impact of Corrective NewsKim Fridkin and Jilian Courey16. Citizen Deliberation as a Correction: The Role of Deliberative Mini-Publics in Addressing Political MisperceptionsJustin Reedy, Chris Anderson and Paole Conte17. Intuitive Politics and Why Thinking Isn't Guaranteed to Save UsKevin Arceneaux and Ryan J. Vander Wielen
