Five Epistemic Arguments for Workplace Democracy Over Workplace Republicanism

ABSTRACT This article intervenes in the debate between workplace democracy and workplace republicanism by examining their relative capacities to protect workers' epistemic agency and epistemic capacities, an angle that remains underexplored in the workplace justice literature. It argues that democratic workplaces are epistemically superior to republican alternatives, especially when evaluated through five key dimensions, namely (a) epistemic inclusion and recognition, (b) deliberative ethos, (c) development of epistemic capacities, (d) mitigation of managerial epistemic vices, and (e) structured dissent. By comparing these dimensions, the article demonstrates that democratic workplace structures provide more supportive environments for employees to exercise and develop their epistemic agency. The article thereby strengthens the epistemic case for workplace democracy by showing how it better empowers workers as capable and recognized participants in knowledge creation and decision‐making processes at work.