Truth Decay, Homo Oeconomicus, And The Reason Of Schooling

Abstract

In recent literature, K‑12 public schooling is cited as a driver of a post-truth phenomenon referred to as truth decay. Truth decay is attributed as contributing to the rise of post-factual politics and the deterioration of civil discourse in the United States. The rise of post-factual politics and the deterioration of civil discourse is perceived by many as a significant threat to liberal democratic republicanism in the United States. The focus of study consists of a literature-based philosophical inquiry that dialectally examines three conceptual frames that contextualize analysis of the relation of K‑12 public schooling with truth decay. The first frame is philosophical analysis of what constitutes a ‘fact’ and the criteria determining what counts as ‘fact’ in either an ontically scientific or normatively sociopolitical sense. The second frame is sociopolitical analysis of the state of governance in the United States, through the constructs of post-democracy, the democratic paradox, and neoliberal governmentality. The third frame is educational analysis of how neoliberal governmentality alters the ‘reason’ of schooling that frames how closely democratic, liberal, and economic values align with the curricular priorities of K‑12 public schooling intended to develop the ‘reasonable’ person.