In today’s digital world, we are constantly bombarded with information — some of it helpful, much of it misleading. This course explores how we, as digital epistemic subjects, can navigate complex online environments shaped by fake news, conspiracy theories, echo chambers, and shifting norms of trust and mistrust. You'll begin by examining the major epistemic challenges of the digital age, including the impact of online storage and information overload. Next, you'll explore two crucial problems: cognitive offloading — our growing dependence on digital tools for knowledge — and digital skepticism, which questions the reliability of online information sources.
Introduction to Digital Epistemology
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Introduction to Digital Epistemology
Instructor: J Adam Carter, Professor of Philosophy
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Intermediate level
Recommended experience
11 hours to complete
3 weeks at 3 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
What you'll learn
Understand the basic issues underlying the current debate about digital technology and its significance for the theory of knowledge.
Question the seriousness of the epistemic consequences of deep fakes.
Understand why philosophers are raising questions about LLMs and how their linguistic performance poses difficult questions for the epistemologist.
Skills you'll gain
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Recently updated!
July 2025
Assessments
4 assignments
Taught in English
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There are 4 modules in this course
This module introduces learners to the main issues that will be addressed in the course, e.g., fake news, conspiracy theories, echo chambers, trust and mistrust in the digital domain, online storage.
What's included
7 videos3 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt
This module explores the complex challenges faced by individuals as "digital epistemic subjects" in the information age. It delves into two key issues: the dilemma of cognitive offloading and the problem of digital skepticism. Cognitive offloading refers to the practice of relying on digital tools for information acquisition, which, while convenient, may undermine our epistemic autonomy. Digital skepticism examines the spread of conspiracy theories online, which, akin to traditional skeptical scenarios, can pose serious threats to our knowledge.
What's included
12 videos7 readings1 assignment4 discussion prompts
This module introduces learners to the basics of virtue and vice epistemology. In a nutshell, virtue epistemology stresses the importance of information that is acquired by having manifested a good epistemic virtue or disposition (e.g., being open minded, gathering evidence). In other words, virtue epistemology focuses on how we obtain some information, as opposed to merely whether we obtain true information. In this section, learners will reflect on epistemic virtues, i.e., character traits that foster truth knowledge, and epistemic vices, i.e., character traits that obstruct the acquisition of knowledge.
What's included
6 videos2 readings1 assignment3 discussion prompts
Towards a Virtue Digital Epistemology: This module puts the lessons from module 3 into practice. You will think about how cultivating epistemic virtues and identifying potential epistemic vices can help overcome some of the challenges addressed in Modules 1 and 2.
What's included
1 video3 readings1 assignment
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