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Introduction to Digital Epistemology

Introduction to Digital Epistemology

Instructor: J Adam Carter, Professor of Philosophy

Included with

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4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

1 week to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

1 week to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

Understand the basic issues underlying the current debate about digital technology and its significance for the theory of knowledge.
Question the seriousness of the epistemic consequences of deep fakes.
Understand why philosophers are raising questions about LLMs and how their linguistic performance poses difficult questions for the epistemologist.

Skills you'll gain

digital literacy

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

4 assignments

Taught in English

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There are 4 modules in this course

In today’s digital world, we are constantly bombarded with information — some of it helpful, much of it misleading. This course explores how we, as digital epistemic subjects, can navigate complex online environments shaped by fake news, conspiracy theories, echo chambers, and shifting norms of trust and mistrust. You'll begin by examining the major epistemic challenges of the digital age, including the impact of online storage and information overload. Next, you'll explore two crucial problems: cognitive offloading — our growing dependence on digital tools for knowledge — and digital skepticism, which questions the reliability of online information sources.

Building on these insights, you’ll be introduced to virtue epistemology, an approach that emphasizes the importance of intellectual character traits — like open-mindedness and intellectual courage — in acquiring genuine knowledge. Finally, you’ll put theory into practice by reflecting on how cultivating epistemic virtues (and avoiding epistemic vices) can help us meet the unique epistemological challenges of the digital age. By the end of the course, you’ll understand how the digital environment influences what and how we know.

Module details

This module introduces learners to the main issues that will be addressed in the course, e.g., fake news, conspiracy theories, echo chambers, trust and mistrust in the digital domain, online storage.

What's included

7 videos3 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt

7 videosTotal 47 minutes

Introduction to Digital Epistemology1 minute
The promise of epistemic growth5 minutes
Overview of the course6 minutes
Fake news and deep fakes8 minutes
AI-generated deep fakes6 minutes
Eco chambers and epistemic bubbles8 minutes
Eco chambers and epistemic inoculation11 minutes

3 readingsTotal 30 minutes

Introduction to digital epistemology - further readings (optional)10 minutes
Fake news and deep fakes - further readings (optional)10 minutes
Echo Chambers - further readings (optional)10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

End module 1 quiz30 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 10 minutes

What is an epistemic cult?10 minutes

This module explores the complex challenges faced by individuals as "digital epistemic subjects" in the information age. It delves into two key issues: the dilemma of cognitive offloading and the problem of digital skepticism. Cognitive offloading refers to the practice of relying on digital tools for information acquisition, which, while convenient, may undermine our epistemic autonomy. Digital skepticism examines the spread of conspiracy theories online, which, akin to traditional skeptical scenarios, can pose serious threats to our knowledge.

What's included

12 videos7 readings1 assignment4 discussion prompts

12 videosTotal 88 minutes

Introduction: The challenges of being a digital epistemic subject1 minute
Cognitive offloading, autonomy, and agency5 minutes
Is Chat GPT an epistemic agent?10 minutes
Is some of our knowledge digital?11 minutes
Offloading to others12 minutes
Introduction to the problem of scepticism7 minutes
The digital sceptical problem11 minutes
The nature of the digital sceptical problem4 minutes
Digital scepticism: solutions2 minutes
Solutions to the third person version of the problem is uploading10 minutes
Solutions to the first person version of the problem10 minutes
The future: AI and the digital sceptical problem4 minutes

7 readingsTotal 109 minutes

Further readings (optional)10 minutes
Cognitive offloading, autonomy, and agency - further reading (optional)10 minutes
Clark and Chalmers, “The Extended Mind”30 minutes
The Extended Mind - further readings (optional)10 minutes
Jennifer Lackey, "Socially Extended knowledge"30 minutes
Offloading - further readings (optional)10 minutes
"Cults, Conspiracies, and Fantasies of Knowledge", by Daniel Munro9 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

End module 2 quiz30 minutes

4 discussion promptsTotal 70 minutes

Leave it to the machines?10 minutes
Will machines exceed our abilities?20 minutes
Munro on online conspiracy theories and belief20 minutes
What is the best response to the problem of digital scepticism?20 minutes

This module introduces learners to the basics of virtue and vice epistemology. In a nutshell, virtue epistemology stresses the importance of information that is acquired by having manifested a good epistemic virtue or disposition (e.g., being open minded, gathering evidence). In other words, virtue epistemology focuses on how we obtain some information, as opposed to merely whether we obtain true information. In this section, learners will reflect on epistemic virtues, i.e., character traits that foster truth knowledge, and epistemic vices, i.e., character traits that obstruct the acquisition of knowledge.

What's included

6 videos2 readings1 assignment3 discussion prompts

6 videosTotal 44 minutes

Introduction to Week 34 minutes
Virtue reliabilism8 minutes
Virtue Responsibilism8 minutes
Obstructivism11 minutes
Problems for obstructivism9 minutes
Motivationalism4 minutes

2 readingsTotal 100 minutes

Virtue epistemology - further readings (optional)90 minutes
On the Nature of Intellectual Vice, B. J. C. Madison10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

End module 3 quiz30 minutes

3 discussion promptsTotal 30 minutes

Reflecting on epistemic humility10 minutes
Is epistemic humility an epistemic virtue?10 minutes
What would motivationalism predict?10 minutes

Towards a Virtue Digital Epistemology: This module puts the lessons from module 3 into practice. You will think about how cultivating epistemic virtues and identifying potential epistemic vices can help overcome some of the challenges addressed in Modules 1 and 2.