Intellectually Virtuous Education and Misinformation (original) (raw)

DisMiss False Information: A Value Matter

Human Computer Interaction and Emerging Technologies: Adjunct Proceedings from the INTERACT 2019 Workshops

The popularization of social media and the increasing consumption and dissemination of information online rise the concerns on the possible impacts of disinformation on a global scale. Although relevant progress to tackle disinformation online has been made recently, the problem seems to be still growing in space and complexity, affecting different aspects of the society, from personal relationships to entire democratic systems. In this position paper, we argue for the need to understand and approach disinformation and misinformation as a sociotechnical phenomena in cultures mediated by information and communication technology, in which both universal and specific values influence the way people experience the problem. A sociotechical perspective aware of the cultural influence can inform technical developments of user interfaces and algorithms, as well as the preparation of educational content in a more systemic and socially responsible way.

Confronting the Misinformation Society

Various forms of misinformation and propaganda have plagued societies for centuries. However, today’s profound media power residing in one monopolistic platform arguably presents a unique challenge to democratic governance. Even as Facebook comes under increased public pressure to be held accountable for the misinformation it purveys and from which it profits, a core problem is often overlooked: the proliferation of so-called “fake news” is symptomatic of an unregulated news monopoly that is governed solely by profit imperatives. Facebook is not evil; it is merely the natural outgrowth of an information system governed by such an unaccountable, commercial logic.

Fake News, False Beliefs, and the Fallible Art of Knowledge Maintenance

The Epistemology of Fake News (eds. S. Bernecker, A. Flowerree, T. Grundmann), Oxford University Press (forthcoming) , 2021

The term ‘fake news’, it is argued in this chapter, captures a novel kind of social-epistemic dysfunction that arises from systemic distortions of established processes of creating, disseminationg, and consuming news-like content. As such, ‘fake news’ is not straightforwardly reducible to ‘false news’, or even to ‘bullshit’; rather, it is an exploratory concept that needs to be gradually refined and made more precise. Navigating informational environments populated by fake news requires the cultivation of epistemic routines that reduce our exposure to misleading and deceptive information, while at the same time continuing to allow us to partake in the collective growth of knowledge. Shifting the focus to epistemic routines steers a middle path between two frequently encountered dichotomous responses to the problem of fake news: viz., between emphasizing the individual’s responsibility to ‘think critically and check one’s sources’ and advocating technological tweaks (such as automated fact-checking). While epistemic agents ought to be held responsible for the epistemic routines they commit themselves to, there is also a collective need for making the predictable effects of such choices transparent to individuals, wherever this is technologically possible.

Why truth is not all that matters: Misinformation, self-deception and social pressures

The Common Ground, 2020

Communication technologies facilitate the exchange of information. But what exactly are we exchanging? Is it facts, or is it opinions? Is it an accurate representation of reality or wishful thinking? The answer is not a very simple one, even when it appears obvious. For one, what is sent into the communication pipeline is not necessarily what we receive (or perceive) on the other end. It is important to try and remember that each conversation has more than one party, and each party comes to communicate with their own goals and agendas in mind. Sharing information is not an end-goal in this process, but a mere conduit between our needs and the world outside. Not everyone goes into a conversation and posts on social media to share what they think to be useful information for others. The accuracy and factuality of information we share are often the last thing that comes to mind when we speak up or hit .

Beyond the Glittery Façade of Headlines: Examining the Infodemic of Misinformation

International Journal for Trend in Scientific Research and Development, 2021

Digital technology presently, as a social-cultural dimension, is typically intertwined with mainstream news and with the network that dominates it. With the COVID-19 information dissemination across the globe, the quandary of factually inaccurate news at all levels of society, down to the interpersonal level, is becoming crucially important. More than 240 million texts have been shared worldwide, most of which are inaccurate and deceptive, according to the study from the Vaccine Confidence Project (VCP). In the middle ages there was misinformation as a phenomena. We see the effect proliferating rapidly and far more than one can imagine, just like the virus.

Misinformation's missing human

Media, Culture & Society, 2024

From pandemics to political campaigns, online misinformation has become acute. In response, a plethora of interventions have been offered, from debunking and prebunking to fact-checking and labeling. While the technical efficacy of these "solutions" are debatable, I suggest a more fundamental failure: they rely on a humanlike caricature, a rational and ethical figure who only needs better facts to disavow misguided misinfo practices. Instead I argue that misinformation studies must incorporate a more holistic human. Drawing from the broader humanities, this article conceptualizes the actually-existing human who can be emotional, factional, and bigoted-all qualities instrumentalized and amplified by online media. Reinserting this missing figure reintroduces agency and antipathy into misinformation studies. Misinformation is not something done to innocent subjects who merely need to be educated, but is an active practice shaped by identity and sociality that reflects the contradictions and frictions intrinsic to human nature.

Educating for Virtuous Intellectual Character and Valuing Truth

philosophies, 2023

Abstract: This paper explores the thesis that the overarching goal of education is to cultivate virtuous intellectual character. It is shown how finally valuing the truth is central to this theory on account of how such valuing is pivotal to intellectual virtues. This feature of the proposal might be thought to be problematic for a number of reasons. For example, it could be argued that truth is not valuable, that insisting on valuing the truth in educational contexts could be politically dubious, or that there is something unduly prescriptive about an educational methodology that has this component. It is argued, however, that many of these grounds for concern are not sound on closer inspection. Properly understood, educating for virtuous intellectual character, even once the truth-valuing aspect of this thesis is made explicit, should not be a contentious proposal.