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Mindchangeability - Objectivity in the Time of Post-Truth Politics
Thesis (MPhil) -- Stellenbosch University, 2022
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2022
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| _version_ | 1867613937012310016 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Froneman, Hanika |
| author2 | Roodt, Vasti |
| author_browse | Froneman, Hanika Roodt, Vasti |
| author_facet | Roodt, Vasti Froneman, Hanika |
| author_sort | Froneman, Hanika |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MPhil) -- Stellenbosch University, 2022 |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/126174 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:44:04.029Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publishDateRange | 2022 |
| publishDateSort | 2022 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/126174 Mindchangeability - Objectivity in the Time of Post-Truth Politics Froneman, Hanika Roodt, Vasti Smit, JP Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Philosophy. Truthfulness and falsehood Objectivism (Philosophy) Political science – Philosophy Critical theory Normativity (Ethics) Rationalism -- Political aspects UCTD Thesis (MPhil) -- Stellenbosch University, 2022 ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The post-truth lament points to a perceived decline in the objectivity of public opinion. In this thesis, I contribute to the academic discussion of post-truth politics by proposing a conceptual shift from naïve objectivity to critical objectivity. Following the critical rationalism of Karl Popper, I argue that objectivity, as a procedural norm of inquiry, is defined by a receptivity to refutation. Based on this conception, I propose a distinct approach to interpreting and ameliorating the historical problems signified by post-truth politics. Given the fact that these problems persist within the framework of modern democracy, I also address the apparent tension between a demand for objective standards in the formation of public opinion, and the democratic norms of freedom and pluralism. I advocate for a discursive approach to conceptualising the role of objective constraints in public opinion and deliberation that extends to matters of evaluative judgement. This, however, requires a response to the challenge of delineating an ideal of evaluative objective that does not succumb to the problematic assumption that there exist normative facts independent of the construction of moral-political ideals by the subjects of democratic deliberation. I address this challenge, relying on Habermasian discourse ethics to provide a basis for theorising ‘objectivity without objects’. I subsequently reintroduce the arguments for critical objectivity at the level of normative political discourse, and set out the theory of what I call ‘mindchangeability’ – a characterisation of political objectivity by means of the same critical attitude that describes critical objectivity in the context of epistemic inquiry. I explore some of the implications of this approach for addressing the deeper problems of post-truth politics – including not only the problem of misinformation, but also political polarisation. AFRIKAANS OPSOMMING: Die postwaarheidklagte veronderstel ’n afname in die objektiwiteit van openbare mening. In hierdie tesis poog ek om ’n bydrae te maak tot die akademiese diskoers rondom die verskynsel van post-waarheidpolitiek deur ’n konseptuele skuif vanaf naïewe objektiwiteit na kritiese objektiwiteit voor te stel. Gegrond in die kritiese rasionalisme van Karl Popper, argumenteer ek dat objektiwiteit, as a prosedurele norm, gedefinieer word deur ’n ontvanklikheid tot weerlegging. Hierdie konseptualisering dui op ’n kenmerkende benadering ten opsigte van die probleme en moontlike oplossings tot postwaarheidpolitiek. Gegewe die feit dat hierdie problem plaasvind binne die raamwerk van die modern demokrasie, spreek ek ook die oënskynlike spanning aan tussen objektiwiteit en die demokratiese norme van vryheid en pluralisme. Ek argumenteer ten gunste van ’n diskursiewe benader jeens die rol wat objektiewe beperkings speel in die evaluerende domein van openbare mening en meningswisseling. So ’n benadering kom egter met die uitdaging om ’n ideaal van evaluerende objektiwiteit voor te stel wat nie staat maak op die problematiese aanname dat die demokratiese diskoers afhang van normatiewe feite onafhanklik van die konstruktiewe rol wat subjekte speel in die voorstelling van moreel-politieke ideale nie. Ek reageer op hierdie uitdaging deur ’n beroep te doen op Habermas se diskoersetiek as ’n basis vir ‘objektiwiteit sonder objekte’. Ek herhaal, vervolgens, die argument vir kritiese objektiwiteit op die vlak van normatiewe politieke diskoers, en stel die teorie van ‘mindchangeability’ voor – ’n formulering van politieke objektiwiteit gebaseer op dieselfde kritiese houding wat kritiese objektiwiteit in the konsteks van epistemiese ondersoek omskryf. Ek verken dan die implikasies van hierdie konsepsie van objektiwiteit as ‘mindchangeability’ vir die hantering van die diepere problem van postwaarheidpolitiek – insluitend nie net die problem van Masters 2022-11-23T18:44:08Z 2023-01-16T12:53:53Z 2022-11-23T18:44:08Z 2023-01-16T12:53:53Z 2022 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/126174 en_ZA Stellenbosch University 127 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Truthfulness and falsehood Objectivism (Philosophy) Political science – Philosophy Critical theory Normativity (Ethics) Rationalism -- Political aspects UCTD Froneman, Hanika Mindchangeability - Objectivity in the Time of Post-Truth Politics |
| title | Mindchangeability - Objectivity in the Time of Post-Truth Politics |
| title_full | Mindchangeability - Objectivity in the Time of Post-Truth Politics |
| title_fullStr | Mindchangeability - Objectivity in the Time of Post-Truth Politics |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mindchangeability - Objectivity in the Time of Post-Truth Politics |
| title_short | Mindchangeability - Objectivity in the Time of Post-Truth Politics |
| title_sort | mindchangeability objectivity in the time of post truth politics |
| topic | Truthfulness and falsehood Objectivism (Philosophy) Political science – Philosophy Critical theory Normativity (Ethics) Rationalism -- Political aspects UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/126174 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT fronemanhanika mindchangeabilityobjectivityinthetimeofposttruthpolitics |