Associate Research Scholar @Yale. PhD from @ENSdeLyon. Democratic theory, political epistemology, AI&democracy.
New Haven
Joined September 2021
- Tweets74
- Following209
- Followers113
- Likes385
Theophile Penigaud retweeted
Very proud to see this article co-authored with @tpenig finally out in @PoPpublicsphere. It's been a long time coming! We argue that the 2019-20 French #Climate Convention placed its 150 randomly selected citizens in the new and ambitious position of what we conceptualize as "citizen legislators." We also argue that this was in part possible due to the implicit norm and (for the most part) practice of a design principle we identify as "citizens on top, experts on tap." For all the criticisms it received at the time this French #citizensassembly was truly path-breaking in ways that have not been replicated since (in France at least).
NOW OUT ON FIRSTVIEW!!
#Citizen #Legislators: Citizens on Top and Experts on Tap in the #French #Convention
for #Climate (2019–20)
By @landemore & Théophile Pénigaud
doi.org/10.1017/S15375927251…
(1/12) New review essay: The Oasis and the Mirage — Lottocracy as a Test for Democratic Theory. When democracy looks fragile, should we “improve” it with sortition—or are we chasing a mirage? journals.openedition.org/oec…
11/12 Proposal: procedural pluralism—pursue legitimacy through experimentation with multiple power-distributing mechanisms, constrained by a demanding condition: uncoerced, unmanufactured public consent.
10/12 Methodologically, I criticize two temptations in democratic theory:
• complacent realism (only what exists is possible)
• complacent idealism (projecting our ideals onto existing institutions).
9/12 Assemblies also tend toward “unitary” norms: strong bonds, avoidance of open conflict, skepticism toward majoritarian voting. That may be beautiful, but it raises a hard question: would it survive binding power and real stakes?
8/12 ii. deliberation quality can be real inside the room, but not automatically visible outside
iii. judgments depend as much on information and framing as on deliberation itself
iv. facilitators can become the de facto “masterminds” of the process
7/12 A few sobering empirical notes: i. Representation looks different on the ground: participants rarely say “I represent the people.” Many say “I represent myself / people like me,” while the group gradually develops a competence-based sense of legitimacy.
6/12 I draw on first-hand observation of two major French Conventions citoyennes. Key point: what we don’t know about “full” lottocracy is vast: so confidence (pro or anti) is often overstated.
5/12 My pushback: this debate often stays conceptual, while citizens’ assemblies are institutional realities with messy incentives, recruitment constraints, facilitation effects, media dynamics, and legitimacy shifts over time.
4/12 They also criticize the idea that a minipublic can “embody” the people (so participation becomes unnecessary) while also “filtering” toward better decisions (problem-solving logic). They claim those justifications pull in incompatible directions.
3/12 Their core warning: “lottocratic” proposals confuse equal chances of selection with political equality, risking a shift from collective self-rule to the unilateral power of a few randomly selected citizens.
Theophile Penigaud retweeted
So sad to hear about the death of Alasdair MacIntyre, someone whose work profoundly inspired me. A giant of contemporary moral philosophy and a powerful exponent of doing philosophy in a way that engages intelligent and interested people way beyond the discipline. RIP.
Theophile Penigaud retweeted
💡Dans ce contexte, cette plateforme permet aux citoyens et aux parlementaires de mieux s’approprier les débats qui ont eu lieu lors la #ConventionCitoyenne.
Découvrez les travaux de la convention pour mieux connaître les enjeux autour de la fin de vie 👉 ccfindevie.lecese.fr
Excited to speak this afternoon at Princeton on Rousseau's Letters Written from the Mountain. Looking forward to the discussion.
Delighted to be part of it!
Excited to organize the AI and Democratic Governance mini-conference at @ISPSYale this Friday!
Join us for a day of conversations on how AI is shaping democracy - its risks, oversight, and potential.
⚠️ Last day to register! shorturl.at/KEaE9
Open to the Yale community!
Theophile Penigaud retweeted
For those interested in the intersection of Admin Law and Democracy & are @YaleLawSch on March 28: Stephen Sawyer (@AUParis @EuropeAtHarvard) will be launching his new book “Demos Rising” (UCP, 2025) at the Yale European Law Association @ela_yls. Commentary by @susanroseackerm
Theophile Penigaud retweeted
we're advertising 2-3 postdoctoral positions to work at NYU on artificial consciousness and related topics at the intersection of AI and the philosophy of mind (possibly including AI mentality, AI interpretability, and AI welfare).
deadline is march 30! philjobs.org/job/show/28878