Submission Date

7-18-2025

Document Type

Paper- Restricted to Campus Access

Department

Philosophy

Second Department

Politics

Faculty Mentor

Molly O'Rourke-Friel

Second Faculty Mentor

Johannes Karreth

Comments

Presented during the 27th Annual Summer Fellows Symposium, July 18, 2025 at Ursinus College.

Project Description

The average American does not have the tools necessary for virtuously engaging with politics. This is the direct result of an ongoing epistemic crisis that impacts the way we seek information and acquire the evidence that shapes our political beliefs. In an environment in which fake news, post-truth, and an overwhelming mistrust of ideological opponents runs rampant, credible evidentiary support for these beliefs may not motivate voting behaviors as much as they should. Common diagnoses of this phenomenon tend to focus on the systemic and structural barriers that negatively impact group-level prosperity. However, this view fails to consider what virtuous political engagement at the individual level looks like while such an environment persists. Ultimately, this project seeks to not only craft a nuanced diagnosis of the condition of American political epistemology, but it also aims to establish a rational and feasible prescription as well. Political beliefs, behaviors, and voting practices directly impact everyone in the United States. As such, we all have a moral and epistemic responsibility to act thoughtfully. This project will determine what these moral and epistemic responsibilities are and what they entail.

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