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International Studies in Phenomenology and Philosophy

Series | Book | Chapter

226513

Identifying agnotological ploys

how to stay clear of unjustified dissent

Martin Carrier

pp. 155-169

Abstract

Agnotology concerns the creation and preservation of confusion and ignorance. Certain positions are advocated in science in order to promote sociopolitical interests with the result of launching mock controversies or epistemically unjustified dissent. I propose to identify agnotological ploys by the discrepancy between the conclusions suggested by the design of a study and the conclusions actually drawn or intimated. This mechanism of "false advertising" serves to implement agnotological endeavors and helps identify them without having to invoke the intentions of the relevant agents. I discuss three agnotological cases, i.e., studies on bisphenol A, Bt-maize/Roundup, and Oslo's airport Gardermoen. Pinpointing agnotological endeavors is a means for weeding out approaches that look fitting at first glance, but are blatantly inappropriate, in fact.

Publication details

Published in:

Christian Alexander, Hommen David, Schurz Gerhard, Retzlaff Nina (2018) Philosophy of science: between the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities. Dordrecht, Springer.

Pages: 155-169

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-72577-2_9

Full citation:

Carrier Martin (2018) „Identifying agnotological ploys: how to stay clear of unjustified dissent“, In: A. Christian, D. Hommen, G. Schurz & N. Retzlaff (eds.), Philosophy of science, Dordrecht, Springer, 155–169.