Who doesn’t believe in conspiracy theories?

Melina Tsapos (Lund University), Lucien Baumgartner (University of Zürich)

I would like to draw your attention to the following online philosophy seminar series, hosting by the Center for International Philosophy at Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai this semester.

On November 13th, 7pm China Standard Time, Melina Tsapos (Lund), will be presenting a talk titled "Who doesn’t believe in conspiracy theories?."

The respondent is Lucien Baumgartner (Zurich).

Attendance is free.

Please register for the event by sending an email to [email protected] for the Zoom link and password.

Abstract: People often think the best way to avoid conspiracy theories is to trust the official version of events offered by experts and authorities. With the social turn in epistemology, it is argued that since knowledge is socially distributed, individuals are not well placed to challenge official accounts; and rejecting them for alternative explanations is seen as irrational. Yet this exclusion from epistemic networks exposes their fragility, risking producing echo chambers—social structures where alternative, outside voices are actively undermined and discredited, while amplifying members’ credibility. Thus, if we wish to optimize our epistemic environment, and not fall for unwarranted conspiracy theories, we face a dilemma: questioning epistemic authorities risks isolation from shared knowledge, while remaining within echo chambers restricts access to alternative perspectives. I argue that a procedural, virtue-based approach—grounded in openness, reflexivity, and good faith—offers a way to partially resolve this tension. 

Bio: Melina Tsapos is a researcher in Theoretical Philosophy at Lund University. Her work focuses on epistemology and the philosophy of mind, with a special emphasis on conspiracy theories, belief formation, and predictive processing. She recently completed her doctoral thesis, Dimensions of Conspiracy, which develops a new framework for understanding the cognitive and epistemic standing of conspiracy theories.

The respondent for the talk is Lucien Baumgartner (University of Zürich).

The meeting time is the 13th of November, 7pm China Standard Time [11am GMT, November 13th]

Meeting time in other timezones:

• 12am New Zealand Standard Time
• 6am Eastern Standard Time