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Question Authority
A Polemic About Trust in Five Meditations
Brief Description
Philosopher Mark Kingwell thinks about thinking for yourself in an era of radical know-it-all-ism. Question authority, the popular 1960s slogan commanded. "Think for yourself." But what started as a counter-cultural catchphrase, playful in logic but serious in intent, has become a practical paradox. Yesterday's social critics...
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Description
Philosopher Mark Kingwell thinks about thinking for yourself in an era of radical know-it-all-ism.
Question authority, the popular 1960s slogan commanded. "Think for yourself." But what started as a counter-cultural catchphrase, playful in logic but serious in intent, has become a practical paradox. Yesterday's social critics are the tone-policing tyrants of today, while those who claim "colourblindness" see no need to engage with critical theory at all.
The resulting crisis of authority, made worse by rival political factions and chaotic public discourse, has exposed cracks in every facet of shared social life. Politics, academia, journalism, medicine, religion, science—every kind of institutional claim is now routinely subject to objection, investigation, and outright disbelief. A recurring feature of this comprehensive distrust of authority is the firm, often unshakeable, belief in personal righteousness and superiority: what Mark Kingwell calls our "addiction to conviction."
In this critical survey of the predicament of contemporary authority, Kingwell draws on philosophical argument, personal reflection, and details from the headlines in an attempt to reclaim the democratic spirit of questioning authority and thinking for oneself. Defending a program of compassionate scepticism, Question Authority is a fascinating survey of the role of individual humility in public life and illuminates how we might each do our part in the infinite project of justice.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781771966412
Publisher: Biblioasis
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 14 August 2025
Country: Canada
Imprint: Biblioasis
Illustration: black and white photos, reproductions, and archival scans
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 19.0mm
Width: 133.0mm
Height: 209.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 240
About the Author
Mark Kingwell is a professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto, a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and a contributing editor of Harper's Magazine.
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