Social Epistemology and deliberative democracy

Abstract

Contemporary societies face tensions related with the unequal distribution of knowledge and simultaneous demands for democratic equality that are central to Social Epistemology´s inquiry. This article describes how the defenders of deliberative democracy explain their characteristics and epistemological virtues; the objections placed by their critics related to public ignorance, and describes issues related to deliberative inequalities and epistemic injustices. It finally proposes that tackling democracy´s epistemic obstacles does not entail that all citizens should have equal influence in deliberations and decisions.