Jamie Kelly, “Framing Democracy: A Behavioral Approach to Democratic Theory” (Princeton UP, 2012)
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What is Plato’s criticism of democracy and how does it shape modern democratic theory?
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Hello everyone and welcome to the New Books and Philosophy channel of the New Books Network. My name is Robert Talise. I am professor of philosophy at Vanderbilt University. I co host the channel with Carrie Figtor. Today My guest is Jamie Kelly. We will be talking about his new book. Framing democracy. A behavioral approach to democratic theory. Which has just been published by Princeton University Press. Jimmy Kelly is an assistant professor of philosophy. at Vassar College. An old argument that goes back to Plato Has it that democracy is nearly the worst form of government? Because citizens are decidedly unwise and Many styles of democratic theory Have tried to meet Plato's argument. By denying. That democracy has anything to do with wisdom.
Democracy such views claim Is simply a matter of representing citizens' preferences in politics. Or instead a matter of giving everyone equal input into the political decision making process. But even these minimal conceptions of democracy typically want to distinguish between Raw and enlightened preferences. They thereby smuggle in considerations regarding the wisdom, the A rationality. of democratic citizens. More recent democratic theories have embraced the epistemic aspect of democratic politics. and have tried to show against Plato. That citizens are not too unwise for self government. Some of these democratic theories hold that democracy in fact requires very little wisdom. and that citizens generally measure up to these requirements.
Other views have it that democracy's epistemic demands are indeed significant. But they hold nevertheless. That collective judgments of democratic citizens Make the gray. In framing democracy Jimmy Kelly introduces empirical results concerning human epistemic abilities. to bear on the current field of democratic theory. He argues that our susceptibility to framing effects Greatly complicates the story. Democratic theorists must tell about collective self government an individual rationality. Kelly thereby provides a much needed empirical check. on the claims democratic theorists make. Either implicitly or explicitly About the epistemic powers of citizens. Yet Kelly's book is not simply an update of Plato. Kelly offers institutional and policy proposals.
For dealing. with our epistemic vulnerabilities. Let's turn now to the interview. Hello, Jamie Kelly. Well. How are you this morning?
I'm very well.
Well, excellent. Thank you so much for joining us today on New Books in Philosophy.
Thanks for having me, Bob.
Well great. Well, folks, um It's presidential election time in the United States, as m uh many of you will know. Um so today on New Books in Philosophy, uh I'll be talking To Professor Jamie Kelly.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is Plato’s criticism of democracy and how does it shape modern democratic theory?
0:00–7:12
2
How does Kelly define a behavioral approach to democratic theory?
7:12–17:29
3
What are framing effects and why are they important for democratic decision‑making?
17:29–27:35
4
How do emphasis framing effects influence public opinion on policies like affirmative action?
27:35–36:28
5
What is the spectrum of epistemic demands across different democratic theories?
36:28–45:38
6
How can institutional design (e.g., courts, constitutions) mitigate the harms of framing effects?
45:38–53:39
7
What role do education, media competition, and insulating strategies play in reducing susceptibility to framing?
53:39–1:02:26
8
What practical policy proposals does Kelly suggest for improving democratic epistemic reliability?
1:02:26–1:11:14
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from New Books in Philosophy
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