Knowledge, Power, and Democratic Theory

Sanford A. Lakoff

The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 1971, vol. 394, issue 1, 4-12

Abstract: The union of knowledge and power, long urged by philosophers, is on the verge of full consummation, thanks to the advance of science and the indispensability of expert advice in the face of rapid technological change. Does this union spell the death of democracy? Should a sharp distinction be drawn between natural and social knowledge? Experience with natural scientists indicates that there is room for considerable disagreement when knowledge is translated into policy. Social knowledge, while admittedly less certain, is a vitally needed complement of natural knowledge. The best way of assuring that knowledge is not misused is still democracy—democracy suitably modified, however, to meet the needs of a post-industrial era.

Date: 1971
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:anname:v:394:y:1971:i:1:p:4-12

DOI: 10.1177/000271627139400102

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