Information, Power, and Democracy

Erscheinungsjahr 2015
ISBN: 978-1-107-12075-4
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 340 Seiten, Format (B × H): 157 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 753 g

The link between liberty and knowledge is neither static nor simple. Until recently the mutual support between knowledge, science, democracy and emancipation was presupposed. Recently, however, the close relationship between democracy and knowledge has been viewed with skepticism. The growing societal reliance on specialized knowledge often appears to actually undermine democracy. Is it that we do not know enough, but that we know too much? What are the implications for the freedom of societies and their citizens? Does knowledge help or heed them in unraveling the complexity of new challenges? This book systematically explores the shifting dynamics of knowledge production and the implications for the conditions and practices of freedom. It considers the growth of knowledge about knowledge and the impact of an evolving media. It argues for a revised understanding of the societal role of knowledge and presents the concept of 'knowledge societies' as a major resource for liberty.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Stehr, Nico

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Kultur Staatsbürgerkunde, Staatsbürgerschaft, Zivilgesellschaft
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Demokratie
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politikwissenschaft Allgemein Politische Theorie, Politische Philosophie
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Sozialphilosophie, Politische Philosophie
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziologie Allgemein

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction; 1. Coming to terms; 2. Accounts of the conditions for the possibility and resilience of liberty; 3. The economic order ensures (defeats) liberty; 4. Scientia est libertas; 5. The knowledge of the powerful; 6. The knowledge of the weak; Knowledge and democracy: summary and conclusions.

Über Autor(innen)

Stehr, Nico
Nico Stehr is Karl Mannheim Professor of Cultural Studies and Director of the European Center for Sustainability Research at Zeppelin University, Friedrichshafen, Germany. His recent publications include Who Owns Knowledge: Knowledge and the Law (with Bernd Weiler, 2008), Knowledge and Democracy (2008), Society: Critical Concepts in Sociology (with Reiner Grundmann, 2008), Climate and Society (with Hans von Storch, 2010), Experts: The Knowledge and Power of Expertise (with Reiner Grundmann, 2011) and The Power of Scientific Knowledge: From Research to Public Policy (with Reiner Grundmann, 2012).