Boudry, Maarten and Hofhuis, Steije (2022) On Epistemic Black Holes. How Self-Sealing Belief Systems Develop and Evolve. [Preprint]

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Abstract

Some belief systems postulate intelligent agents that are deliberately evading detection and thus sabotaging any possible investigation into their existence. These belief systems have the remarkable feature that they predict an absence of evidence in their favor, and even the discovery of counterevidence. Such ‘epistemic black holes’, as we call them, crop up in different guises and in different domains: history, psychology, religion. Because of their radical underdetermination by evidence and their extreme resilience to counterevidence, they develop and evolve in certain predictable ways. Shedding light on how epistemic black holes function can protect us against their allure.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Boudry, Maarten maartenboudry@gmail.com Hofhuis, Steije
Keywords:	belief systems; irrationality, conspiracy theory; epistemology; cultural evolution; religion; psychoanalysis; witchcraft
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Mathematics > Epistemology Specific Sciences > Cultural Evolution
Depositing User:	Maarten Maarten Boudry
Date Deposited:	30 Oct 2022 18:42
Last Modified:	30 Oct 2022 18:42
Item ID:	21333
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Mathematics > Epistemology Specific Sciences > Cultural Evolution
Date:	5 July 2022
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/21333

Available Versions of this Item

• The Truth Is (Still) out There. On the Epistemology and Cultural Dynamics of Conspiracy Beliefs. (deposited 15 Aug 2020 03:26)
  • On Epistemic Black Holes. How Self-Sealing Belief Systems Develop and Evolve. (deposited 12 Aug 2022 14:38)
    • On Epistemic Black Holes. How Self-Sealing Belief Systems Develop and Evolve. (deposited 30 Oct 2022 18:42) [Currently Displayed]
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              • On Epistemic Black Holes. How Self-Sealing Belief Systems Develop and Evolve. (deposited 05 Apr 2024 18:28)
                • On Epistemic Black Holes. How Self-Sealing Belief Systems Develop and Evolve. (deposited 15 Jan 2024 05:39)

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