Abstract
This article seeks to offer a contingent defense of the epistemic conception of democracy by recovering the concept of truth espoused by John Stuart Mill and William James. Contrary to what the critics of epistemic democracy claim, the association between democracy and truth does not necessarily make the former inhospitable to conflict and pluralism. Truth can be reinterpreted in such a way as to make it compatible with a democratic politics that appreciates conflict and dissent. In some circumstances, truth-claim assertions are politically relevant and should become the object of democratic deliberation.
Keywords:
epistemic democracy; representative democracy; truth; pragmatism; John Stuart Mill; William James