“Truth” on the Internet?

Catalog description

What is knowledge? Do we know anything at all? When do we have good reasons? When can we rely on someone or something as a source of information? How does misinformation and disinformation affect our ability to trust others, and our own analysis of traditionally reliable sources of information? How does the existence of the internet and the availability of vast amounts of evidence affect our answers to these questions? In this class, we will analyze the way that social reality affects how and whether we can have well-justified beliefs, and what we can know. Topics covered will include misinformation and conspiracy theories, expertise and trust in experts, the epistemology of testimony, skepticism about knowledge, and the nature of evidence and justification.