Epistemic corruption and manufactured doubt: the case of climate science
Item Type
Abstract
Criticism plays an essential role in the growth of scientific knowledge. In some cases, however, criticism can have detrimental effects; for example, it can be used to "manufacture doubt" for the purpose of impeding public policy making on issues such as tobacco consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. In this paper, we build on previous work by Biddle and Leuschner who argue that criticism that meets certain conditions can be epistemically detrimental. We extend and refine their account by arguing that such criticism can be epistemically corrupting—it can create conditions that are conducive to the development of epistemic vice by agents operating within them.
Publication Title
Publication Year
2017
Publication Date
2017
Source
JSTOR
License
ISSN
0887-0373
Physical Description
vol. 31, n. 3, pp. 165-187
Short Title
Epistemic corruption and manufactured doubt: the case of climate science