ABSTRACT

How should educators deal with conspiracy theories in the classroom, if at all? Do the epistemic deficiencies of some conspiracy theories make them easy prey for debunking? Can the moral and political dangers that certain conspiracy theories pose to democratic societies justify educators avoiding addressing conspiracy theories in the classroom? These questions are at the heart of this essay. Its purpose is to assess both the promises and perils of whether and under which conditions it might be pedagogically productive to address conspiracy theories in the classroom. In particular, it is argued that debunking conspiracy theories in the classroom from a narrow epistemic lens (fact-checking) is not only impossible, but also unproductive. It is suggested that a fruitful trajectory to deal with conspiracy theories is to go beyond treating them merely as a narrow epistemic problem and consider the ethical and political motivations and implications of conspiracy theories.

摘要

如果有的话，教育工作者应该如何处理课堂上的阴谋论？某些阴谋论的认知缺陷是否使其很容易被揭穿？某些阴谋论对民主社会构成的道德和政治危险是否可以证明教育工作者有理由避免在课堂上讨论阴谋论？这些问题是本文的核心。其目的是评估在课堂上解决阴谋论是否以及在什么条件下可能在教学上有效的承诺和危险。特别是，有人认为，从狭隘的认知视角（事实核查）揭穿课堂上的阴谋论不仅是不可能的，而且也是徒劳的。