Philosophers’ Cafe - Truth: Facts, Fallacies, and Fakes

In the face of deep fakes, Russian trolls, and Cambridge Analytica, how do we find out what is true? More prosaically, in a society where psycho-manipulation for profit trumps evidence gathering for facts, how do we defend ourselves? How do we avoid the onslaught of statistical errors and ideological blindness? Beyond the practicalities, these questions introduce a fundamental philosophical problem of the nature and even the existence of truth itself. In the face of claims that truth is dead, and that we live in a post-truth world, this Cafe will strive to tackle the nature of truth and why it matters.

The discussion will be led by UWGB Philosophy and Humanities Professor, David Louzecky.