Includes bibliographical references (pages 113-126) and index.
Contents
The Argument -- Coordination Problems -- Common Knowledge -- Where the Argument Comes From -- Applications -- Ceremonies and Authority -- How Do Rituals Work? -- Inward-Facing Circles -- On the Waterfront -- Believe the Hype -- The Price of Publicity -- Strong Links and Weak Links -- The Chapel in the Panopticon -- Elaborations -- Competing Explanations -- Is Common Knowledge an Impossible Ideal? -- Meaning and Common Knowledge -- Contesting Common Knowledge -- Common Knowledge and History -- Common Knowledge and Group Identity -- The Argument Expressed Diagrammatically.
Summary
"Why do Internet, financial service, and beer commercials dominate Super Bowl advertising? How do political ceremonies establish authority? Why does repetition characterize anthems and ritual speech? Why were circular forms favored for public festivals during the French Revolution? This book answers these questions using a single concept: common knowledge."--Jacket.