College of Social Sciences

Join us for the next Information Integrity Insights session on 19 January 2026, 11:00 - 12:30. 

The programme for the event will feature a presentation from Prof. Adam J. Carter, entitled "Seeing through the Smog: Navigating Epistemically Polluted Environments." 

Here is the abstract: 

"The same technologies that have expanded our access to knowledge -- e.g., social media, online news, large language models -- have also contributed to degrading the environments in which we seek it, flooding them with mis/disinformation. This talk addresses how inquirers should both assess and strategically navigate epistemic environments of varying pollution levels. I develop three main contributions. First, a Calibration Formula determines where inquirers should position themselves on the classic Jamesian trade-off scale between truth-seeking and error-avoidance, accounting for pollution intensity, interaction effects between different pollution structures, and evidence quality. Second, for environments where pollution levels remain opaque -- particularly relevant given deepfakes and synthetic media -- I advocate “zetetic satisficing,” a strategy derived from minimax regret principles that improves one’s epistemic position through indirect inquiry without premature commitment. Third, drawing connections with virtue epistemology, I offer an account of how to strategically transition between these strategies as one moves across differently polluted environments."

We will meet at G Scott:460 Carnegie Room. Lunch and drinks will be provided.

Places are limited. Please register here to attend as a participant. We welcome academic staff from any discipline, PGR students, and all interested in information integrity.