Given a commitment to epistemic humility, is your position that there is a need for a degree of macro-level coherence in our guiding narrative for society to function effectively (ie some form of big) but that 'total' coherence is a false premise?
As individuals we have to buy into some (and usually multiple) big stories to be able to function in the world. I would argue the same has to hold any type of organisation that wants to be coherent and function in any real sense.
At a society level, I'd argue total coherence is empirically false, but also normatively dangerous. It's hard work to get total coherence amongst a few friends or a family, so I'd say it is empirically impossible at a society level. And trying to achieve it leads to a totalitarian approach as it can only ever be forced upon a society.
To put it differently, believing there is an acceptable total narrative for a society requires a belief in epistemic certainty. I've argued that is empirically false and, early this year, a fundamental premise of totalitarian governments.
Really interesting.
Given a commitment to epistemic humility, is your position that there is a need for a degree of macro-level coherence in our guiding narrative for society to function effectively (ie some form of big) but that 'total' coherence is a false premise?
Are you so humble as to not comment?
Yes. (Obviously to the first question...)
As individuals we have to buy into some (and usually multiple) big stories to be able to function in the world. I would argue the same has to hold any type of organisation that wants to be coherent and function in any real sense.
At a society level, I'd argue total coherence is empirically false, but also normatively dangerous. It's hard work to get total coherence amongst a few friends or a family, so I'd say it is empirically impossible at a society level. And trying to achieve it leads to a totalitarian approach as it can only ever be forced upon a society.
To put it differently, believing there is an acceptable total narrative for a society requires a belief in epistemic certainty. I've argued that is empirically false and, early this year, a fundamental premise of totalitarian governments.