The ethic of hand-washing and community epistemic practice

Abstract

The article discusses the potential for an “epistemic hygiene” analogous to hand-washing, with the goal of promoting the spread of accurate beliefs and limiting the spread of inaccurate beliefs within a community. The author notes the importance of honesty in the transmission of beliefs, arguing that focusing on evidence and the actual causes of beliefs is more valuable than simply being honest about one’s opinions. Other proposed practices include verifying ideas from empirical evidence and adopting social norms that reward reasoned opinion-change. The author also discusses the potential for “Red Team” analyses, where individuals present the strongest arguments they can against their favored ideas, and the importance of avoiding “information cascades,” where individuals’ beliefs are influenced by the beliefs of others rather than their own individual impressions. – AI-generated abstract.