CFP: 2nd International Conference on the Philosophy of Conspiracy Theory

Theme: Social Epistemic Frameworks in Conspiracy Theory Research

June 2nd and 3rd, 2023

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam 

Topic areas

• Epistemology/Social Epistemology
• Metaphysics
• Social and Political Philosophy

In the last decade there has been an explosion of literature on conspiracy theories in disciplines like social psychology, sociology, and philosophy. The study of conspiracy theories has raised many political, epistemological, moral, and conceptual questions, all of which deserve investigating. As conspiracy theories are a multifaceted social phenomenon, it seems that such questions are not solvable from a monodisciplinary perspective, nor without taking into account the social foundations of our beliefs. Rather than studying conspiracy theories through a traditional and individualistic knowledge account in epistemology, we should incorporate groups, different political contexts, economic backgrounds, and so on, in our accounting of what conspiracy theories are, what makes them interesting, and what, if anything, we can say about certain kinds of belief in conspiracy theories. 

This year's 2nd International Conference on the Philosophy of Conspiracy Theory will focus on applying existing social epistemic notions or frameworks to conspiracy theory research. We want to highlight the importance of interdisciplinary research endeavors for the future of conspiracy theory theory (the study of conspiracy theory) both for philosophers and social scientists, while at the same time avoiding reinventing the wheel by benefiting from the work that has already been done in social epistemology. Some examples of topics within the scope of this conference: 

• Conspiracy theorists and standpoint theory
• Epistemic dependence/autonomy and conspiracy theories
• Experts and epistemic authority on conspiracy theories
• Conspiracy theory-induced polarization
• How do misinformation/fake news and conspiracy theories hang together?
• What's the connection between echo chambers/filter bubbles and conspiracy theories?
• Conspiracy theories and epistemic injustices
• Groupthink and conspiracy communities

Keynote speakers

Catarina Dutilh Novaes (VU Amsterdam)

Steve Clarke (Charles Sturt University)

M R. X. Dentith (Beijing Normal University)

Panelists

M R. X. Dentith (Philosophy, (Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai)

Brian Keeley (Philosophy, Pitzer College in Claremont)

Maarten Boudry (Philosophy, Ghent University)

Keith Harris (Philosophy, Ruhr-Universität Bochum)

Patrick Stokes (Philosophy, Deakin University)

Jan Willem van Prooijen (Psychology, VU Amsterdam)

Jaron Harambam (Sociology, VU Amsterdam)

David Robertson (Religious Studies, Open University)

Conference details:

June 2nd and 3rd, 2023
VU Amsterdam

The conference will be held in-person at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, with the option to attend online via Zoom. Registration is required (more information will follow). The conference will be held in English. 

Submitting a paper:

We welcome 1000-2000 word abstracts submitted to: [email protected] by March 8, 2023 at the latest.

Submissions are to be anonymised: the submission (doc., pdf,) should include the name of the paper, the abstract, and a short list of references. Please do not include your name or your university's name; this should only appear in the accompanying email. Make sure to include any contact information you deem necessary. We encourage submissions from researchers from underrepresented groups in academia, as well as independent and junior scholars.

Notifications of acceptance will be sent before April 12th. Accepted abstracts will be invited to present their work in either a lightning talk (20 min.) or in a paper presentation (45 min.). Accepted abstracts may be invited to contribute to the publication of proceedings of the conference.

Registration:

To attend, please fill in the registraiton form on the website: 

https://conspiracytheoryconference.weebly.com/registration.html

Or direct link to the form: https://forms.gle/AWTnjgjr1bMKFasE8 

Contact:

Organizers are Julia Duetz, Melina Tsapos and M Dentith. You may contact them via mail at:  [email protected].