Shattering Silos: Reimagining Knowledge, Politics, and Social Critique

In the post-truth era, Hannah Arendt's questions about the impotence of truth, the falsity of politics, and the relevance of the search for truth become increasingly urgent. Shattering Silos, a companion volume to Religion, Truth, and Social Transformation and Art, Education, and Cultural Renewal, offers a path-breaking response. Lambert Zuidervaart challenges the boundaries between epistemology, ethics, and political philosophy and argues that knowledge takes different forms in various social domains and is subject to political struggle. He proposes a new conception of truth that emphasizes the unity of knowledge and truth and their diversity among different social domains, and asks what this suggests about how we understand politics and society. The book aims to help redirect an allegedly post-truth society by interweaving epistemology, social criticism, and political thought.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 15 August 2022
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press

In the post-truth era, Hannah Arendt's questions about the impotence of truth in politics, the inherent falsity of politics, and the relevance of the search for truth take on renewed urgency. This urgency is fueled by political leaders who casually disregard facts in the public domain, raising concerns about the power of truth in shaping public discourse and decision-making.

Shattering Silos, a companion volume to Religion, Truth, and Social Transformation and Art, Education, and Cultural Renewal, offers a groundbreaking response to these pressing questions. As in his previous works, Lambert Zuidervaart challenges the boundaries traditionally established between epistemology, ethics, and political philosophy. He argues that knowledge takes diverse forms in various social domains and is subject to political struggle. A critique of contemporary society must encompass multiple social domains of knowledge, including the arts and religion, and redefine politics as a pursuit of truth in its broadest sense.

Zuidervaart proposes a new conception of truth that emphasizes the unity and diversity of knowledge and truth across different social domains. He questions what such holism and pluralism suggest about our understanding of politics and society. By interweaving epistemology, social criticism, and political thought, Shattering Silos aims to redirect an allegedly post-truth society toward a more informed and ethical engagement with knowledge and truth.

The book challenges the prevailing notion that knowledge and truth are separate entities and proposes a holistic understanding that recognizes the interconnectedness of knowledge and truth across different social domains. It encourages readers to think critically about the sources and implications of knowledge and to engage in meaningful dialogue and debate to shape a more informed and just society.

In conclusion, Shattering Silos provides a timely and thought-provoking exploration of the relationship between knowledge, truth, and politics in the post-truth era. By challenging the boundaries between epistemology, ethics, and political philosophy, the book offers a path toward a more informed and ethical society that values the pursuit of truth and the importance of knowledge in shaping our collective future.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780228011576