Connect To Epistemically Prosper? The Ethics Of Belief In The Digital Age

People need knowledge in order to act. Sometimes people need to act collectively (e.g. in a business organization, or a democratic society), and then they need group knowledge. How can they get it – especially under adverse conditions? One way is for the individuals that constitute these groups to learn from their network of peers. Perhaps they can connect to epistemically prosper? This talk reports the models, methods, and initial findings of PolyGraphs, an interdisciplinary project supported by the Royal Society and others. Using a model devised in economics, and adapted by philosophers, the PolyGraphs team runs computer simulations on graph datasets to investigate knowledge and ignorance in communities of inquiring agents. Our presentation will touch on: the role of social network structure in producing knowledge and sustaining ignorance; homophily models of mistrust and the possibility of polarization; measures of group knowledge; and the effects of mis- and disinformation in trusting and cautious communities. A common theme will be the persistence of the trade-off between error and agnosticism, first discussed in the 19th century debate over ‘the ethics of belief’, now updated for the digital age.