Can critical reasoning favour democratic institutions?

Authors

  • Augusto Santos Silva Faculdade de Economia da Universidade do Porto, Instituto de Sociologia da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7458/SPP202510942431

Keywords:

reason, rationality, sociology, economics

Abstract

How can we counter the irrationalist trend that pervades today the public sphere? This is a crucial issue social scientists ought to consider. They must do it taking into account the very rich critical reflection that both economics and sociology have produced, throughout the 20th century, on the concept of reason. If there really is a rationality to preserve, against all the attacks it is suffering nowadays, that is the rationality that structures the scientific culture, e. g., the non-dogmatic, procedural, open, dynamic, and critical rationality of knowledge.

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Published

2025-10-15

Issue

Articles in continuous publication

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Articles

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Copyright (c) 2025 Augusto Santos Silva

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