Conspiracy Theories, Propaganda, and Epistemic Vice: The Philosophy of Misinformation

Ian Schnee’s seminar (developed in partnership with Colin Marshall) explores how we are easily influenced and manipulated by technology, media, and misinformation. Course topics include the epistemology and ethics of disagreement, ethical and epistemic frameworks for analyzing propaganda, philosophical views of conspiracy theories, and the ethics of persuasive technology. Based on philosophical and psychological work on intellectual vices, students will create strategies for recognizing and combating misinformation. They also will practice public philosophy; for example, in the unit on propaganda film, students will create voice-over video commentaries analyzing a propaganda film, and post them on the course’s YouTube channel.