Epistemology of Conspiracy Theories

This interdisciplinary course explores the rise of conspiracy theory and disinformation as a current manifestation of the perennial struggle between truth and power. As an antidote to the idea we now live in a ‘post-truth’ world we employ epistemology, a foundational branch of philosophy that asks how do you know what you think you know is true? We examine Plato on the Noble Lie, Alfarabi on hierarchies of truth, Machiavelli and Chanakya on perception and power, as well as works of Lyotard, Baudrillard and Orwell’s 1984. We explore theories of manipulating consent in politics and commerce, along with historical conspiracy case studies, concluding with student research on current instances of narrative manipulation.

This network course includes an online section that is open to enrollment to OSUN students across the network. Please visit the OSUN Online Courses for further information.

Al-Quds Bard College offers this course under "Special Topics in Social and Political Thought: Conspiracy Theories".