Mona Simion, a philosopher and author of 'Resistance to Evidence,' discusses epistemology and beliefs. The podcast delves into the concept of evidence, belief formation, epistemic responsibilities, and the impact of disinformation on shaping individual beliefs. It also explores epistemic obligations, conceptual engineering, and safeguarding against misuse.
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Reconceptualizing Evidence
Evidence consists of facts you are in a position to know, not just what you already believe or know.
Resistance to evidence is irrational when available evidence is ignored despite being accessible.
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Context Matters in Evidence Resistance
Rejecting scientific evidence isn't always irrational; it can be rational depending on your evidential environment.
Trusted testimony from one's social group can justify dismissing mainstream evidence, complicating evidence resistance.
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Suspension of Judgment Needs Justification
Suspending judgment is not inherently safer than believing; it requires justification based on evidence.
Suspension is justified only under evidential conditions where belief thresholds are not met.
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We have increasingly sophisticated ways of acquiring and communicating knowledge, but efforts to spread this knowledge often encounter resistance to evidence. The phenomenon of resistance to evidence, while subject to thorough investigation in social psychology, is acutely under-theorised in the philosophical literature.
Mona Simion's Resistance to Evidence (Cambridge UP, 2024) is concerned with positive epistemology: it argues that we have epistemic obligations to update and form beliefs on available and undefeated evidence. In turn, our resistance to easily available evidence is unpacked as an instance of epistemic malfunctioning. Simion develops a full positive, integrated epistemological picture in conjunction with novel accounts of evidence, defeat, norms of inquiry, permissible suspension, and disinformation. Her book is relevant for anyone with an interest in the nature of evidence and justified belief and in the best ways to avoid the high-stakes practical consequences of evidence resistance in policy and practice.
Mona Simion is a philosopher. She is professor of philosophy at the University of Glasgow where she is also deputy director of the COGITO Epistemology Research Centre. Simion's work focuses on issues in epistemology, ethics, the philosophy of language, and feminist philosophy.
Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube channel. Twitter.
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