Alethic Rights and Alethic Pluralism in Libraries
-
Riccardo Ridi
Abstract
The concept of truth, although unavoidable, is very problematic from a philosophical point of view and, in the field of librarianship, it is even more disputed for various reasons: inapplicability to libraries’ collections and reference services; scarcity of resources necessary in the event of a possible application; conflict with the value of intellectual neutrality. The “alethic rights” proposed by D’Agostini in 2017, pertinent to truth claims in social contexts, can be interpreted in two ways: the “strong” way is not applicable to libraries because it would lead to the same problems caused by the research of the truthfulness of each document preserved by libraries and of any information provided by their reference services; the “weak” way would instead be applicable to libraries, but it is more appropriate not to apply this either, both because there would be the risk that it could be interpreted in the strong way, and because its application would still be redundant compared to what already happens in libraries and to what, if necessary, could be obtained in emergency situations by applying instead the principle of social responsibility. In the library field it would be more sensible and useful to apply, instead of alethic rights, the epistemological theory of “alethic pluralism” by Wright (1992). Truth and Objectivity. Cambridge: Harvard University Press and Lynch (2009). Truth as One and Many. Oxford: Clarendon, which defines the concept of truth in a way compatible with technical practices and with deontological rules currently more widespread in libraries.
Acknowledgements
I thank Peter Lor for the encouragement and Juliana Mazzocchi for helping with the translation.
References
ALA. 2019. Library Bill of Rights, adopted June 19, 1939, by the American Library Association Council; amended October 14, 1944; June 18, 1948; February 2, 1961; June 27, 1967; January 23, 1980; January 29, 2019. ALA. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill (accessed March 17, 2022).Suche in Google Scholar
Antoniacomi, G. 2018. “I percorsi ingannevoli nella gestione delle collezioni di una biblioteca pubblica tra censura e legittimazione della post verità: Verso il paradigma dei diritti aletici.” AIB studi 58 (1): 65–82. https://aibstudi.aib.it/article/view/11753 (accessed March 17, 2022).Suche in Google Scholar
Armour-Garb, B., and J. Woodbridge. 2021. “Deflationism About Truth.” First published August 28, 1997, substantive revision December 14, 2021. In Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by E. N. Zalta. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/truth-deflationary/ (accessed March 17, 2022).Suche in Google Scholar
Blackburn, S. 2018. On Truth. New York: Oxford University Press.Suche in Google Scholar
Bufacchi, V. 2021. “Truth, Lies and Tweets: A Consensus Theory of Post-truth.” Philosophy and Social Criticism 47 (3): 347–61. https://doi.org/10.1177/0191453719896382.Suche in Google Scholar
Capps, J. 2018. “The Coherence Theory of Truth.” First published September 3, 1996, substantive revision June 26, 2018. In Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by E. N. Zalta. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/truth-coherence/ (accessed March 17, 2022).Suche in Google Scholar
Capps, J. 2019. “Pragmatic Theory of Truth.” First published March 21, 2019. In Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by E. N. Zalta. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/truth-pragmatic/ (accessed March 17, 2022).Suche in Google Scholar
Caputo, S. 2015. Verità. Roma: Laterza.Suche in Google Scholar
D’Agostini, F. 2002. Disavventure della verità. Torino: Einaudi.Suche in Google Scholar
D’Agostini, F. 2011. Introduzione alla verità. Torino: Bollati Boringhieri.Suche in Google Scholar
D’Agostini, F. 2012. Menzogna. Torino: Bollati Boringhieri.Suche in Google Scholar
D’Agostini, F. 2017. “Diritti aletici.” Biblioteca della Libertà 52 (218): 5–42. https://www.centroeinaudi.it/images/abook_file/BDL218.pdf (accessed March 17, 2022).Suche in Google Scholar
D’Agostini, F. 2021. “Alethic Rights: Preliminaries of an Inquiry into the Power of Truth.” Social Epistemology 35 (5): 515–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/02691728.2021.1919236.Suche in Google Scholar
D’Agostini, F., and M. Ferrera. 2019. La verità al potere: sei diritti aletici. Torino: Einaudi.Suche in Google Scholar
Dabney, D. 1991. “[Review of] The Freedom to Lie: A Debate About Democracy by John Swan and Noel Peattie, Jefferson: McFarland, 1989.” Journal of Education for Library and Information Science 31 (4): 377–9. https://doi.org/10.2307/40323375.Suche in Google Scholar
David, M. 2015. “The Correspondence Theory of Truth.” First published May 10, 2002, substantive revision May 28, 2015. In Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by E. N. Zalta. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/truth-correspondence/ (accessed March 17, 2022).Suche in Google Scholar
Dowden, B. 2022. “Truth.” In Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by J. Fieser and B. Dowden. https://iep.utm.edu/truth/ (accessed March 17, 2022).Suche in Google Scholar
Edwards, D. 2022. “Pluralistic Theories of Truth.” In Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by J. Fieser and B. Dowden https://iep.utm.edu/plur-tru/ (accessed March 17, 2022).Suche in Google Scholar
Fenner, E. 2004. Selecting Materials for Library Collections, edited by A. Fenner. Binghamton: Haworth Information.Suche in Google Scholar
Froehlich, T. J. 2021. “Some Thoughts Evoked by Peter Lor, Bradley Wiles, and Johannes Britz, “Re-thinking Information Ethics: Truth, Conspiracy Theories, and Librarians in the COVID-19 Era”.” International Journal of Libraries and Information Studies (LIBRI) 71 (3): 219–25. https://doi.org/10.1515/libri-2021-0061.Suche in Google Scholar
Gabbatt, A. 2022. Truth Social: The Failing Anti-Twitter Platform Even Trump Barely Use. The Guardian. March 16, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/mar/16/truth-social-donald-trump-failing-anti-twitter-platform (accessed March 17, 2022).Suche in Google Scholar
Gębołyś, Z., and J. Tomaszczyk Jacek. 2012. Library Codes of Ethics Worldwide: Anthology. Berlin: Simon Verlag für Bibliothekswissen.Suche in Google Scholar
Gregory, V. L. 2019. Collection Development and Management for 21st Century Library Collections: An Introduction, 2nd ed. edited by V. L. Gregory Chicago: American Library Association and Neal-Schuman.Suche in Google Scholar
Harger, E. 2016. Which Side Are You on? Seven Social Responsibility Debates in American Librarianship, 1990–2015. Jefferson: McFarland.Suche in Google Scholar
IFLA. 2022. “National Codes of Ethics for Librarians by Country.” International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, Committee on Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression. https://www.ifla.org/national-codes-of-ethics-for-librarians-by-countries/ (accessed March 17, 2022).Suche in Google Scholar
Labaree, R. V., and R. Scimeca. 2008. “The Philosophical Problem of Truth in Librarianship.” Library Quarterly 78 (1): 43–70. https://doi.org/10.1086/523909.Suche in Google Scholar
Lor, P. 2020. Riccardo Ridi on Intellectual Neutrality: A Perspective from Italy. 2020-01-03, corrected 2020-01-05. https://peterlor.com/2020/01/03/riccardo-ridi-on-intellectual-neutrality-a-perspective-from-italy-2/ (accessed March 17, 2022).Suche in Google Scholar
Lor, P., B. Wiles, and J. Britz. 2021. “Re-thinking Information Ethics: Truth, Conspiracy Theories, and Librarians in the COVID-19 Era.” International Journal of Libraries and Information Studies (LIBRI) 71 (1): 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1515/libri-2020-0158.Suche in Google Scholar
Lynch, M. P. 2009. Truth as One and Many. Oxford: Clarendon.10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199218738.001.0001Suche in Google Scholar
Mill, J. S. 1859. On Liberty. London: Parker. https://archive.org/details/onlibertyxero00milluoft (accessed March 17, 2022).Suche in Google Scholar
Moore, A. 2012. “Arcane Erotica and National ‘Patrimony’: Britain’s Private Case and the Collection de l’Enfer of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France.” Cultural Studies Review 18 (1): 196–216. https://doi.org/10.5130/csr.v18i1.1821.Suche in Google Scholar
Pedersen, N. J. L. L., and C. Wright. 2018. “Pluralistic Theories of Truth.” First published March 5, 2012, substantive revision October 19, 2018. In Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by E. N. Zalta https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/truth-pluralist/ (accessed March 17, 2022).Suche in Google Scholar
Ridi, R. 2011. Etica bibliotecaria: deontologia professionale e dilemmi morali. Milano: Editrice Bibliografica.Suche in Google Scholar
Ridi, R. 2014. “La responsabilità sociale delle biblioteche: Una connessione a doppio taglio.” Biblioteche Oggi 32 (3): 26–41. http://www.bibliotecheoggi.it/pdf.php?filepdf=20140302601.pdf (accessed March 17, 2022).Suche in Google Scholar
Ridi, R. 2018. “Livelli di verità: Post-verità, fake news e neutralità intellettuale in biblioteca.” AIB Studi 58 (3): 455–77. https://aibstudi.aib.it/article/view/11833 (accessed March 17, 2022).Suche in Google Scholar
Ridi, R. 2022. “Biblioteche e diritti aletici: Una, nessuna o centomila verità?” AIB Studi 62 (2): 317–38. https://aibstudi.aib.it/article/view/13400 (accessed November 7, 2022).Suche in Google Scholar
RLA. 2011. The Code of Ethics for Russian Librarian, adopted by the Russian Library Association Conference of May 26, 2011. IFLA. http://www.ifla.org/files/assets/faife/publications/misc/code-of-ethics-ru.pdf (accessed March 17, 2022).Suche in Google Scholar
Scott, D., and L. Saunders. 2021. “Neutrality in Public Libraries: How are We Defining One of Our Core Values?” Journal of librarianship and information science 53 (1): 153–66. https://doi.org/10.1177/0961000620935501.Suche in Google Scholar
Simon, S. 2022. Russian Law Bans Journalists from Calling Ukraine Conflict a ‘War’ or an ‘Invasion’. National Public Radio. March 2, 2022. https://www.npr.org/2022/03/05/1084729579/ (accessed July 4, 2022).Suche in Google Scholar
Sloman, S., and P. Fernbach. 2018. The Knowledge Illusion: Why We Never Think Alone. New York: Riverhead Books.Suche in Google Scholar
Soltani-Nejad, N., M. Jahanshahi, M. K. Saberi, N. Ansari, and N. Zarei-Maram. 2022. “The Relationship Between Social Responsibility and Public Libraries Accountability: The Mediating Role of Professional Ethics and Conscientiousness.” Journal of Librarianship and Information Science 54 (2): 306–24. https://doi.org/10.1177/09610006211014260.Suche in Google Scholar
Swan, J. C. 1986. “Untruth or Consequences: As Librarians Our Case is Not Truth but Freedom.” Library Journal 111 (July): 44–52.Suche in Google Scholar
Volpe, G. 2012. La Verità. Roma: Carocci.Suche in Google Scholar
Wenzler, J. 2019. “Neutrality and Its Discontents: An Essay on the Ethics of Librarianship.” Portal: Libraries and the Academy 19 (1): 55–78. https://doi.org/10.1353/pla.2019.0004.Suche in Google Scholar
Whittaker, K. 1982. Systematic Evaluation: Methods and Sources for Assessing Books. London: Bingley.Suche in Google Scholar
Wilson, P. 1983. Second-Hand Knowledge: An Inquiry into Cognitive Authority. Westport: Greenwood.Suche in Google Scholar
Wright, C. 1992. Truth and Objectivity. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.10.4159/9780674045385Suche in Google Scholar
© 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Alethic Rights and Alethic Pluralism in Libraries
- Digital Archiving Policies of Central European Journals Registered in the Directory of Open Access Journals
- The Information Seeking Behaviors and Needs of Suicide Survivors During Bereavement
- Comparisons of the Economist Topics on Three Countries from 1991 Through 2016
- A Comparative Study of Information Literacy Study Trends Between Korea and Other Countries Using Keyword Networks
- “We Collect TONS of Data … We Report What We Think Our Community Cares the Most About … We Learn so Much from It:” School Librarians’ Evidence Collection and Sharing Practices
- Sex in the Stacks: Examining the Treatment of Explicit Materials in American Libraries
- A Study of Academic Library through the Prism of Knowledge Use and Problem Solving Networks
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Alethic Rights and Alethic Pluralism in Libraries
- Digital Archiving Policies of Central European Journals Registered in the Directory of Open Access Journals
- The Information Seeking Behaviors and Needs of Suicide Survivors During Bereavement
- Comparisons of the Economist Topics on Three Countries from 1991 Through 2016
- A Comparative Study of Information Literacy Study Trends Between Korea and Other Countries Using Keyword Networks
- “We Collect TONS of Data … We Report What We Think Our Community Cares the Most About … We Learn so Much from It:” School Librarians’ Evidence Collection and Sharing Practices
- Sex in the Stacks: Examining the Treatment of Explicit Materials in American Libraries
- A Study of Academic Library through the Prism of Knowledge Use and Problem Solving Networks
