From political self-deception to self-deception in political theory

Bibliographic Data

ID12866809
AuthorsAlice Baderin (0000-0001-7207-8825, University of Reading, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume13
Issue4
Pages26-37
Publication date2020-12-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEthics & Global Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1654-6369 • E-ISSN: 1654-4951
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/16544951.2020.1837483
OpenAlexW3095854254
LanguageEN
References cited29

In Political Self-Deception, Galeotti carves out valuable space for the analysis of behaviour on the part of political leaders that lies between straightforward deception and honest mistakes. In these comments I consider whether the concept of self-deception can travel from the political to the academic arena, to illuminate problems in how political theorists treat empirical data in the course of their normative work. Drawing on examples from the literature on the social bases of self-respect, I show that political theorists too are vulnerable to the motivationally biased treatment of data. I suggest that this problem can helpfully be located on the same broad terrain Galeotti outlines, between lying and mistakes. I also identify some potential analogues, for the academic sphere, of Galeotti's proposed remedies for political SD. The paper goes on to reflect on how Galeotti herself employs empirical evidence in developing her account of self-deception. In particular, I challenge the empirical basis of her assumption that political self-deception is significantly more predictable, and therefore preventable, than political lying. My discussion seeks to show that, in addition to its intended contribution to the study of political deception, Political Self-Deception offers a valuable perspective on recent debates about the place of empirical evidence in political theory. However, approaching the book from this methodological angle reveals, in turn, some weaknesses in the empirical foundations of one of Galeotti's own key normative claims

Deception · Economics · Empirical research · Epistemology · Lying · Normative · Political science · Politics · Positive economics · Self-deception · Sociology · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Philosophy · Political Philosophy and Ethics · Populism, Right-Wing Movements · Psychology · Social Psychology

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