Η επιστημολογική στροφή στην πολιτική: whataboutism, γενεαλογική υπονόμευση, κατασκευασιοκρατία
In recent years, conflicts over truth and science have taken an increasingly central place in sociopolitical debates. Very often, we do not merely disagree about what we should do based on a shared pool of facts; we disagree about what exactly constitutes a fact. In other words, social and political disputes over issues such as gender, climate, health, or nutrition are not merely wars of positions or values, but also wars over truth. To the extent, however, that our relationship with specialized knowledge becomes part of political conflict, it becomes more dynamic, less taken for granted, and more uncertain. This book, that was entirely written at the IWM, examines three social phenomena that, as argumentative strategies, are now utilized to a greater or lesser extent by everyone, regardless of political affiliation, thus contributing to the “epistemological turn” in politics: “whataboutism,” that is, the accusation that our opponent does not apply the same general principles in all cases; “genealogical debunking,” that is, the idea that by highlighting the interests and mechanisms behind a theory or viewpoint, we are able to challenge it; and finally, “constructivism,” that is, the belief that reality, our knowledge of it, or at least certain essential aspects thereof, are constituted through a set of social practices and representations.
