KU scholar reviews foundation of truth in democracy and how to return to logic, reason
LAWRENCE — A University of Kansas public affairs scholar has published a new article reviewing the foundation of truth-telling in democracy and how it has shifted from that basic commonsense premise. The new work outlines an approach to reclaim reason, logic and science in the administration of democracy.
America’s founders extensively cited the Enlightenment-era philosophy appeal to reason, the need for science and logic as the basis of democratic governance. Chris Koliba, Edwin O. Stene Distinguished Professor of Public Affairs & Administration and director of the Center for Democratic Governance at KU, noted how those ideas were born long before the American Revolution and drafting of the Declaration of Independence.
“Our modern premise of science and philosophy was born under the umbrella of logic from the 13th and 17th century scholars like Thomas Aquinas and René Descartes, who posited that truth can be based on the systemic observation of phenomena that eventually became known as the scientific method,” Koliba said. “Democracy functions most effectively for society when it anchors its decision-making in truth, rationality and the scientific process. What struck me when delving into this topic is how much we’ve taken for granted that connection to reason, truth and science.”
A scholar who studies governance and resilient communities, Koliba has previously published work calling for a set of seven accountability standards for democracy, focusing on authority, rights, tolerance, truth claims and professional deference. He concludes his new essay calling on public accountability scholars to consider the basis of truthfulness as a standard in democratic accountability.
In an new essay published in the journal Public Performance & Management Review, Koliba traces not only the foundation of truth in science, philosophy and government, but numerous examples of how that basis has been eroded, including denial of climate science as far back as the 1980s to Donald Trump being fact-checked during a 2024 presidential debate about claims of immigrants eating people’s pets.
Following the debate between Trump and Kamala Harris in which this false claim was made, Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, said that if they had to make up stories to get people to focus on the points they were trying to make, they would, and such tactics were acceptable as the importance of their point overshadowed any falsehoods.
Such “directional correctness” as Koliba described it, has become more commonplace in the rhetoric of some public leaders, and he cites how social media has enabled both elected officials and citizens alike to indulge in it, and its associated rhetorical device: the conspiracy theory.
Directional correctness coincides with a postmodern philosophy that has enabled a shift away from linking truth and accountability in government, Koliba wrote. The postmodern philosophy holds that reality is a social construction and that there are no absolute truths. That has coupled with a distrust in science, evidenced in denial of climate change for several decades culminating into a prohibition of using the term "climate change" in federally funded research and widespread vaccine skepticism.
“If you don’t believe in the scientific method, you probably shouldn’t get in a car, go 70 miles per hour and trust the brakes will work or trust that lift co-efficient will keep your plane in the air,” Koliba said. “We trust the scientific method with our lives every single day. We need to construct public spheres that value that. With the explosion of social media and ‘commodification of clicks,’ there has been an acceptance of wanton aberration of truth and conspiracy. We’re beginning to undermine the very foundation of how we make decisions in a democratic society.”
Koliba points to the recent efforts to defund and downscale funding to the major scientific research engines, including the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health as ominous signs pointing to the erosion of long-term investments in science.
To ensure a healthy democracy survives, Koliba wrote that citizens must demand that leaders appeal to reason, logic and science in their decision-making and hold them accountable for the telling of lies. While that may be easier said than done, the author lays out three methods for seeking such progress: truth in the public sphere, in public leadership and in the performance of governments.
Scholars have a role to play in making that happen by conducting research relating to the perpetuation of truth in the public sphere, Koliba wrote, and alternate forms of social media could help people of varying political beliefs negotiate agreement. He also makes an appeal to citizens and public leaders alike to reject the use of dividing people as a political strategy.
Finally, a performance management system that better tracks the value of government systems, what they provide to citizens and truthfully communicates findings to citizens would be invaluable, Koliba wrote.