Belief Formation in a Polarized World: Evidence, Expertise, and Disagreement

3 credits · Undergraduate

An introduction to the philosophy and science of belief formationnnThis course is about what makes beliefs epistemically good or bad, as well as adjacent phenomena such as disinformation, fake news, belief polarization, and conspiracy theories. It is about how bad beliefs are generated, and how they might best be improved. In the first half of this course (Units 1-3), we will clarify central philosophical ideas concerning belief, testimony, disagreement, and expertise. Among other things, we will ask: Is it wrong to believe on insufficient evidence and, if so, in what sense? It is often claimed that we should think for ourselves, but can thinking for ourselves lead to bad epistemic consequences? When an individual forms bad beliefs, is this their fault and/or that of the epistemic environments in which they live? How should one rationally respond to disagreement? How can we know whom to trust, especially when we are not in a position to evaluate the available evidence for ourselves? In the second half of this course (Unit 4), we will apply these ideas to contemporary case studies such as climate change skepticism and Covid-19 conspiracy theories. The course introduces students to issues in social and political epistemology, the cognitive science of belief, and the ethics of belief.nnNo prerequisites. This course also serves as a self-contained introduction to the basics of philosophical methodology.