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7 - The Visibility and Accountability of Political Power

from Part II - The Emergence of the Epistemological Constitution of Modern Democracy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2025

Yaron Ezrahi
Edited by
Dana Blander
Yaron Ezrahi
Affiliation:
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Dana Blander
Affiliation:
Israel Democracy Institute
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Summary

This chapter examines the intricate relationship between visibility, epistemology, and political power in modern democracies. Based on Ezrahi’s previous research on the development of modern democratic visual culture and the impact of the scientific revolution on reshaping the role of human perception in knowledge acquisition, the chapter underscores the role of visibility in shaping democratic epistemology. It emphasizes how visibility, in conjunction with individualism, democratic causality, and the concept of public facts, form the epistemological foundations of democracy. Visibility plays a key role in objectifying politics, which allows citizens to be informed, make judgments about their leaders, and participate in the political process. The chapter highlights the importance of visible public facts as a form of political currency for government criticism and accountability. The chapter acknowledges that the common belief in the accuracy of visible perception, equating observables with reality, has given democratic citizens unwarranted confidence in navigating the political landscape. Paradoxically, these unfounded beliefs align with democratic norms and principles. The chapter suggests that the erosion of these illusions has contributed to the erosion of democratic values.

Keywords

visibilityaccountabilityepistemologythe scientific revolution
Type
Chapter
Information
Can Democracy Recover?
The Roots of a Crisis
 , pp. 77 - 81
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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