The past two decades have witnessed an intensifying rise of populist movements globally, and their impact has been felt in both more and less developed countries. Engaging Populism: Democracy and the Intellectual Virtues approaches populism from the perspective of work on the intellectual virtues, including contributions from philosophy, history, religious studies, political psychology, and law. Although recent decades have seen a significant advance in philosophical reflection on intellectual virtues and vices, less effort has been made to date to apply this work to the political realm. While every political movement suffers from various biases, contemporary populism’s association with anti-science attitudes and conspiracy theories makes it a potentially rich subject of reflection concerning the role of intellectual virtues in public life. Interdisciplinary in approach, Engaging Populism will be of interest to scholars and students in philosophy, political theory, psychology, and related fields in the humanities and social sciences.
Gregory R. Peterson is Professor of Philosophy and Religion and Director of the Ethics Lab at South Dakota State University. While Dr. Peterson’s early work focused on issues of religion and science in the philosophy of religion, his more recent work focuses on moral and political philosophy and experimental ethics. Dr. Peterson is author or coauthor of over 50 journal articles and book chapters. In addition to the monograph, Minding God, he is co-editor of Property Rights in Contemporary Governance, Habits in Mind, and the Routledge Companion to Religion and Science. Dr. Peterson has also received numerous grant and fellowship awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Science Foundation, and the Templeton Foundation.
Michael C. Berhow is an Adjunct Lecturer of Philosophy at South Dakota State University. He is the author of
Dysteleology: A Philosophical Assessment of Suboptimal Design in Biology (2019), and his research focuses on various topics related to religion and science, intellectual virtues, and political/social tribalism. In addition to his scholarly activity, Dr. Berhow has organized and participated in numerous lectures, forums, and panels―all of which are designed to address current events and controversies related to the intersection of science, ethics, religion, and politics.
George Tsakiridis is Senior Lecturer of Philosophy & Religion at South Dakota State University, where he is involved with the Ethics Lab. He is the author of Evagrius Ponticus and Cognitive Science: A Look at Moral Evil and the Thoughts (2010), and Seven Virtues for Success (2021). His published research also focuses on the topic of guilt and forgiveness. Dr. Tsakiridis recently edited the volume Theology and Spider-Man (2021), and he is currently working on several projects related to popular culture. He holds a PhD in Religion and Science/Theology from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
