This project addresses epistemological, ethical, and pragmatic questions that conspiracy theories present.
How should conspiracy theories be understood? This divides into topics on:
- ordinary language meaning of conspiracy theories;
- reliability of knowledge-producing institutions and epistemic authorities;
- building of transparent and accountable knowledge-producing institutions.
How do we deal with conspiracy theorizing in practice? This divides into topics on:
- social nature of knowledge and its rationality;
- rules for, and ethics of, forming belief, for example: the sometimes conflicting aims of believing the true and avoiding the false;
- collective moral responsibility of conspiracy theorizing;
- interference with harmful conspiracy theories;
- open and respectful public debate.