Using empirical materials to inform normative thinking about the organization of groups for the production of knowledge. It is increasingly apparent that knowledge is produced by organized groups-e.g. research or management teams. The idea of heroic individual creators is still presented in popular media, but has little credence in hard-headed organizational contexts, where, e.g., Wenger's idea of the community of practice plays an important role in steering policy and institutional development. ....Using empirical materials to inform normative thinking about the organization of groups for the production of knowledge. It is increasingly apparent that knowledge is produced by organized groups-e.g. research or management teams. The idea of heroic individual creators is still presented in popular media, but has little credence in hard-headed organizational contexts, where, e.g., Wenger's idea of the community of practice plays an important role in steering policy and institutional development. Finding out how we can organize collectives so that they can function WELL as producers of knowledge is the aim of this project in social epistemology. Its success will contribute directly to theoretical discourse about innovation in organizations and promises to contribute indirectly to the improvement of the institutional bases of our cultural and economic capital.Read moreRead less
Trust in a social and digital world. This project aims to provide a systematic and empirically-informed account of the way networks facilitate or hinder knowledge. Distinguishing on-line information from disinformation can be difficult. This task can be greatly assisted by networks of trusted peers, but figuring out who to trust is itself a challenge. Identifying, designing, and facilitating networks of trust is therefore an urgent task. By using the tools of social epistemology, virtue epistemo ....Trust in a social and digital world. This project aims to provide a systematic and empirically-informed account of the way networks facilitate or hinder knowledge. Distinguishing on-line information from disinformation can be difficult. This task can be greatly assisted by networks of trusted peers, but figuring out who to trust is itself a challenge. Identifying, designing, and facilitating networks of trust is therefore an urgent task. By using the tools of social epistemology, virtue epistemology, and network science, this project will identify how individuals should distribute their trust when embedded in epistemically hostile environments.Read moreRead less