Introduction
In the last decade there has been an explosion of literature on conspiracy theories in disciplines like social psychology, sociology, and philosophy. The study of conspiracy theories has raised many political, epistemological, moral, and conceptual questions, all of which deserve investigating. As conspiracy theories are a multifaceted social phenomenon, it seems that such questions are not solvable from a monodisciplinary perspective, nor without taking into account the social foundations of our beliefs. Rather than studying conspiracy theories through a traditional and individualistic knowledge account in epistemology, we should incorporate groups, different political contexts, economic backgrounds, and so on, in our accounting of what conspiracy theories are, what makes them interesting, and what, if anything, we can say about certain kinds of belief in conspiracy theories.
This year's 2nd International Conference on the Philosophy of Conspiracy Theory will focus on applying existing social epistemic notions or frameworks to conspiracy theory research. We want to highlight the importance of interdisciplinary research endeavors for the future of conspiracy theory theory (the study of conspiracy theory) both for philosophers and social scientists, while at the same time avoiding reinventing the wheel by benefiting from the work that has already been done in social epistemology. Some examples of topics within the scope of this conference:
Keynote speakers:
Catarina Dutilh Novaes (VU Amsterdam)
Steve Clarke (Charles Sturt University)
M R.X. Dentith (Beijing Normal University)
Panelists:
Brian Keeley (Philosophy, Pitzer College)
Maarten Boudry (Philosophy, Ghent University)
Keith Harris (Philosophy, Ruhr-Universität Bochum)
Patrick Stokes (Philosophy, Deakin University)
David Robertson (Religious Studies, Open University)
Jan Willem van Prooijen (Psychology, VU Amsterdam)
Jaron Harambam (Sociology, VU Amsterdam)
Conference details:
June 2-4, 2023
VU Amsterdam
The conference will be held in-person at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (in collaboration with Lund Univesity), with the option to attend online via Zoom. Registration is required (more information). The conference will be held in English.
This year's 2nd International Conference on the Philosophy of Conspiracy Theory will focus on applying existing social epistemic notions or frameworks to conspiracy theory research. We want to highlight the importance of interdisciplinary research endeavors for the future of conspiracy theory theory (the study of conspiracy theory) both for philosophers and social scientists, while at the same time avoiding reinventing the wheel by benefiting from the work that has already been done in social epistemology. Some examples of topics within the scope of this conference:
- Conspiracy theorists and standpoint theory
- Epistemic dependence/autonomy and conspiracy theories
- Experts and epistemic authority on conspiracy theories
- Conspiracy theory-induced polarization
- How do misinformation/fake news and conspiracy theories hang together?
- What's the connection between echo chambers/filter bubbles and conspiracy theories?
- Conspiracy theories and epistemic injustices
- Groupthink and conspiracy communities
Keynote speakers:
Catarina Dutilh Novaes (VU Amsterdam)
Steve Clarke (Charles Sturt University)
M R.X. Dentith (Beijing Normal University)
Panelists:
Brian Keeley (Philosophy, Pitzer College)
Maarten Boudry (Philosophy, Ghent University)
Keith Harris (Philosophy, Ruhr-Universität Bochum)
Patrick Stokes (Philosophy, Deakin University)
David Robertson (Religious Studies, Open University)
Jan Willem van Prooijen (Psychology, VU Amsterdam)
Jaron Harambam (Sociology, VU Amsterdam)
Conference details:
June 2-4, 2023
VU Amsterdam
The conference will be held in-person at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (in collaboration with Lund Univesity), with the option to attend online via Zoom. Registration is required (more information). The conference will be held in English.