Submission Date

5-4-2026

Document Type

Paper- Restricted to Campus Access

Department

Politics

Second Department

Philosophy

Adviser

Johannes Karreth

Second Adviser

Molly O'Rourke-Friel

Committee Member

Danielle Widmann Abraham

Department Chair

Ann Karreth

Department Chair

Nathan Rein

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. This project seeks to craft a nuanced diagnosis of the condition of American political epistemology and propose a rational and feasible prescription. I start by arguing that voters have moral and epistemic obligations to increase sensitivity to new evidence and engage with a diverse range of sources in an ongoing manner prior to voting in political elections. To investigate the extent to which voters fall short of these obligations, I crafted a survey experiment that aims to determine whether partisan cues influence students’ perceptions of political fact. Current research suggests that individuals have a tendency to apply partisan filters when evaluating political information. This study’s results suggest that, when exposed to partisan cues, individuals will change or alter their beliefs to better align with their partisan identity. I close by arguing that this kind of response to partisan cues is not epistemically virtuous. Recognizing these shortcomings is the first step towards voters fulfilling their moral and epistemic obligations, which are required of us to promote the values of a legitimate, representative democracy.

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