Accessibility statement

Epistemic Norms for Search Engines

Wednesday 14 October 2020, 4.00PM to 5.30pm

Speaker(s): Dr Jessie Munton, St John's College, University of Cambridge

Talk title 'Epistemic Norms for Search Engines'

Abstract:  We commonly make evaluations of search engines and the results they return, but what grounds those evaluations? One straightforward way of evaluating search engines appeals to the intentions or goals of the user. Are there, in addition, user-independent norms, that allow us to evaluate search engines in ways that may come apart from their ability to satisfy the individual using them? One way of grounding such norms appeals to moral or political considerations. In this talk, I argue that in addition to those moral norms, there are also distinctive user-independent epistemic norms that apply to search engines. I ground these norms in the epistemic virtue of cognitive flexibility: the ability to form accurate and justified beliefs across a range of different contexts, whilst pursuing a range of different enquiries.

Location: Via Zoom (Joining instructions to follow)

Admission: Colloquium members and postgraduate students