The Psychology and Epistemology of Political Cognition
Organised by Robin McKenna and Mikkel Gerken Funded by the British Academy and the Leverhulme Trust
13-14th June
School of the Arts Library, University of Liverpool
How do people form views about contentious political issues such as the costs and benefits of immigration or EU membership? What about issues that are not themselves political but have a clear relevance to public policy such as the reality and causes of climate change? In the face of increasing public polarisation, many have decided that there is clearly something wrong with the way in which many (if not all) of us form views about these and other issues. This prompts some further questions. What, exactly, is wrong with the way we form views about these issues? Are they irrational? How can we go about improving the ways in which people form views about these issues? These questions are discussed in a range of different disciplines including psychology, political science and philosophy. This workshop aims to bring together researchers from these disciplines in order to facilitate more cross-disciplinary work on some of the most pressing social and political issues of the day.
Monday 13th June
1:00-2:00 Robin McKenna (Liverpool): “The Duty to Listen”
2:00-3:00 Dan Williams (Cambridge): “Is Democratic Group Cognition Rational?”
3:00-3:30 Tea & Coffee
3:30-4:30 Haixin Dang (Nebraska Omaha): “Minority Reporting and Group Reasons”
Dinner and Drinks
Tuesday 14th June
9:30-10:30 Stephen John (Cambridge): “The ethics of constructing, maintaining and dismantling the natural veil of ignorance”
10:30-11:30 Deena Weisberg (Villanova): “Community Science as a Tool to Fight Climate Change”
11:30-12:00 Tea & Coffee
12:00-1:00 Mikkel Gerken (Southern Denmark): TBA
Registration is free. If you have any questions please contact Robin McKenna at r.j.mckenna@liverpool.ac.uk