Assessing Epistemic Democracy

The populist crisis besetting the world’s electoral democracies demands urgent scholarly attention. Many recent elections have set populist governments in place, causing observers to rethink the very viability of participatory democracy. Disaffection with democracy as it is currently constituted, extravagant populism resulting in President Donald Trump’s victory, the strength of far-right parties like Marine Le Pen’s Front National, upheavals like Brexit and ‘Regrexit’ – all prompt analysts to revisit the roots of the democratic program. Is trust in the popular will still sustainable? One promising remedy emerges: epistemic democracy, which in effect ‘screens out’ certain voters’ input. Many now see voting itself as passé – replaceable by ‘other forms of collective choice and action’. Is mass voting past its proper time? Should voting have a future? While it is clear that electoral democracy is currently in crisis and in need of creative and bold re-evaluation, is epistemic democracy the answer?