In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Jonathan Rauch about the constitution of knowledge and how to defend against illiberalism. They discuss Jonathan’s background and how we have arrived to many of the societal themes today. They discuss the distinctions between truth and knowledge and how Jonathan modeled his constitution of knowledge from the US constitution.  They talk about the central thesis of compromise and how it’s possible to scale the constitution of knowledge to all of society. They stress the importance and value of institutions and provide an example of how gay rights was achieved through a combination of activism and use of institutions. They talk about the components of the constitution of knowledge and the differences between positive and negative epistemic valence. They explain the need for individuals and institutions to work together and how to use the constitution of knowledge pragmatically.
Jonathan Rauch is a Senior Fellow of Governance Studies at Brookings Institute. He is a journalist and author of eight books. He is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and recipient of the 2005 National Magazine Award. His new book, The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth can be found here. Find his work at his website. Twitter: @jon_Rauch