Epistemology of Conspiracy Theories, Echo Chambers, and Epistemic Partisanship

Vocabulary flashcards defining key epistemic concepts, conspiracy theories, echo chambers, and epistemic partisanship.

Content Theory of Conspiracy Theories

The view that to believe a conspiracy theory is just that a group of agents acting in secret carried out some nefarious plot.

Conspiracy-Beliefs

Beliefs in the existence of a conspiracy.

Conspiracy Theories

Evidentially self-insulated conspiracy theories.

Evidential self-insulation

The condition of a belief where counter-evidence against it would be dismissed as fabricated, misleading, or from an untrustworthy source.

Evidential Self-Insulation Theory of Conspiracy Theories

The theory stating that conspiracy theories are evidentially self-insulated conspiracy beliefs.

Filtering

The selection and presentation of partial or incomplete information out of all the information that could be presented.

Epistemic Bubble

A predominantly socio-epistemic environment from which relevant voices and information have been excluded through omission.

Echo Chambers

Predominately digital socio-epistemic environments that are parasitic and create a significant disparity in trust between members and non-members by (1) discrediting non-members, and (2) amplifying the purported epistemic credentials of members.

Evidential Support

A relationship between a piece of evidence and a proposition, such that the evidence either supports believing the proposition or not.

Objectivism (regarding evidential support)

The view that evidential support is objective in that a piece of evidence either supports believing a proposition $p$, or it doesn't, with no relativity.

Subjectivism (regarding evidential support)

The view that evidential support is agent-relative in that whether a piece of evidence $E$ supports believing $p$ depends on facts about the agent whose evidence it is.

Escape Question

The question of how someone stuck in an echo chamber can escape from it.

Social Epistemic Reboot

Setting aside your background beliefs and patterns of trust to treat all sources with presumptive equanimity.

Worsnips Source Diversification Thesis

The claim that there is a duty to consume media that aligns with political viewpoints other than our own (to diversify our sources), which is primarily an epistemic duty and indirectly a moral duty.

Epistemic Partisanship

Extending more credibility to those who agree with your political outlook, for the reason that they agree with your political outlook, rather than to others who disagree.

Illicit influences

Factors that degrade the quality of our reasoning, such as bias, motivated reasoning, and prejudice.