The relation between democracy and expert knowledge (about COVID-19, for example) appears to be under pressure. Democracy builds on an assumption of equality. But does this justify a rejection of the authority of expertise? How can democratic societies integrate the knowledge of experts without becoming technocratic? This talk, organised discusses one popular model – the ‘marketplace of ideas’ – and exposes its deficits, to then suggest another model – an ‘infrastructure’ model – for how expert knowledge can be sustainably integrated into democratic decision-making, without undermining democratic values.

Speaker: Prof. Lisa Herzog Professor of Political Philosophy, Dean Faculty of Philosophy; Director Centre for Philosophy, Politics and Economics, University of Groningen.