Eric Beerbohm is the Alfred and Rebecca Lin Professor of Government and Faculty Affiliate in the Department of Philosophy at Harvard University. He serves as Faculty Director of the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics, Faculty Dean at Quincy House, and Senior Adviser on Civil Discourse in the Faculty of Arts and Science. His philosophical and teaching interests include democratic theory, political ethics, and the philosophy of social science. Recent work includes Civic Education in Polarized Times (with Elizabeth Beaumont), Reconciliation and Repair (with Melissa Schwartzberg), and Policing (in progress with Ekow Yankah), all part of NOMOS, the annual volume of the American Society for Political and Legal Philosophy.
His two book projects include How to Disagree: From Friendship to Politics, which explores how the spaces where we disagree structure norms of discourse, from friendship and marriage to town meetings and the floor of Congress. The second manuscript, Gaslighting Citizens (with Ryan Davis), examines how politicians can target our evidence about our evidence — creating alternative realities — and argues that this form of manipulation raises distinctively democratic worries.
His first book, In Our Name: The Ethics of Democracy, considers the responsibilities of citizens for the injustices of their state (Introductory Chapter). A follow-up project, If Elected: The Ethics of Lawmaking and Campaigning, develops a theory for lawmakers and candidates operating within a malfunctioning legislative system. His articles include “Gaslighting Citizens,” (American Journal of Political Science, 2023), “The Democratic Limits of Political Experiments” (Politics, Philosophy, Economics), “The Ethics of Electioneering” (Journal of Political Philosophy), “The Problem of Clean Hands: Negotiated Compromise in Lawmaking,” (Nomos LIX: Compromise) “The Common Good: A Buck-Passing Account” (Journal of Political Philosophy), and “Is Democratic Leadership Possible?” (American Political Science Review).
Contact
beerbohm@fas.harvard.edu
617/384-9268
1737 Cambridge Street,
CGIS Knafel Building, Room 421