Download This PaperEndogenous Epistemic Factionalization
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23 Pages Posted: 4 Jan 2019 Last revised: 1 May 2020
Date Written: December 19, 2018
Abstract
Why do people who disagree about one subject tend to disagree about other subjects as well? In this paper, we introduce a network epistemology model to explore this phenomenon of “epistemic factionization”. Agents attempt to discover the truth about multiple beliefs by testing the world and sharing evidence gathered. But agents tend to mistrust evidence shared by those who do not hold similar beliefs. This mistrust leads to the endogenous emergence of factions of agents with multiple, highly correlated, polarized beliefs.
Keywords: polarization, factionalization, network epistemology, belief correlation
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