Difference between revisions of "Epistemic closure"
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==About== | ==About== | ||
[[Epistemic closure]] is a condition in which a given population has access only to a body of centrally-approved information, with the goal of convincing said population that a certain [[closed belief system|set of beliefs]] is true, [[ideological protectionism|despite evidence]] to the contrary. | [[Epistemic closure]] is a condition in which a given population has access only to a body of centrally-approved information, with the goal of convincing said population that a certain [[closed belief system|set of beliefs]] is true, [[ideological protectionism|despite evidence]] to the contrary. | ||
Latest revision as of 01:25, 27 October 2012
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About
Epistemic closure is a condition in which a given population has access only to a body of centrally-approved information, with the goal of convincing said population that a certain set of beliefs is true, despite evidence to the contrary.
Methods
It achieves this goal by:
- immersing the audience in a body of works which all agree on the target belief
- ...where said works frequently cite and cross-reference each other, to encourage the idea that the target beliefs are widely-held and not seriously disputed
- discouraging the audience from consulting any sources outside this body by using emotional arguments (e.g. stating that non-approved works are untrustworthy, immoral, or harmful, or that taking non-approved works seriously may result in ostracism)
Habitat
Epistemic closure is found frequently in US conservative philosophy and punditry, as well as in many religions.