Epistemic Bunkers

Furman, Katherine ORCID: 0000-0003-0311-097X (2023) Epistemic Bunkers SOCIAL EPISTEMOLOGY, 37 (2). pp. 197-207. ISSN 0269-1728, 1464-5297

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Abstract

One reason that fake news and other objectionable views gain traction is that they often come to us in the form of testimony from those in our immediate social circles–from those we trust. A language around this phenomenon has developed which describes social epistemic structures in terms of ‘epistemic bubbles’ and ‘epistemic echo chambers’. These concepts involve the exclusion of external evidence in various ways. While these concepts help us see the ways that evidence is socially filtered, it doesn’t help us understand the social functions that these structures play, which limits our ability to intervene on them. In this paper, I introduce a new concept–that of the epistemic bunker. This concept helps us better account for a central feature of the phenomenon, which is that exclusionary social epistemic structures are often constructed to offer their members safety, either actual or perceived. Recognising this allows us to develop better strategies to mitigate their negative effects.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Epistemic bubbles, echo chambers, fake news, distrust
Divisions:	Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences > School of the Arts
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	09 Sep 2022 09:26
Last Modified:	16 Jun 2026 12:50
DOI:	10.1080/02691728.2022.2122756
Related Websites:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3163996
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