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Epistemic network injustice

Author

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  • Kai Spiekermann

    (London School of Economics, UK)

Abstract

To find out what is in one’s own best interest, it is helpful to ask one’s epistemic peers. However, identifying one’s epistemic peers is not a trivial task. I consider a stylized political setting, an electoral competition of ‘Masses’ and ‘Elites’. To succeed, the Masses need to know which alternative on offer is truly in their interest. To find out, the Masses can pool their privately held information in a pre-election ballot, provided that they can reliably find out with whom they should pool information. I investigate the process of finding the relevant peer group for information pooling by modelling this group formation process as dynamic network change. The simulations show that the Masses can succeed in finding the right peers, but they also suggest reasons why the Elites may often be more successful. This phenomenon generalizes to the notion of Epistemic Network Injustice. Such injustice arises when a subset of citizens is systematically deprived of connections to helpful epistemic peers, leading to their reduced political influence. Epistemic Network Injustice is a new form of epistemic injustice, related to but distinct from the notion introduced by Miranda Fricker.

Suggested Citation

  • Kai Spiekermann, 2020. "Epistemic network injustice," Politics, Philosophy & Economics, , vol. 19(1), pages 83-101, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:pophec:v:19:y:2020:i:1:p:83-101
    DOI: 10.1177/1470594X19872505
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Albert Breton & Gianluigi Galeotti & Pierre Salmon & Ronald Wintrobe, 2002. "Political Extremism and Rationality," Post-Print hal-00445585, HAL.
    2. Breton,Albert & Galeotti,Gianluigi & Salmon,Pierre & Wintrobe,Ronald (ed.), 2002. "Political Extremism and Rationality," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521804417.
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    Cited by:

    1. Sarah Cummings & Charles Dhewa & Gladys Kemboi & Stacey Young, 2023. "Doing epistemic justice in sustainable development: Applying the philosophical concept of epistemic injustice to the real world," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(3), pages 1965-1977, June.

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