Tomáš Koblížek (FLÚ AV ČR), "Propaganda and disinformation from the standpoint of philosophy of language and political epistemology"

15.5.2025 15:00

Meeting room, Centre for Medieval Studies, Institute of Philosophy, CAS, Jilská 1, Prague

Propaganda is commonly understood as the spreading of disinformation messages that have the character of lies and aim to deceive the audience. In this talk, however, I will explain why contemporary philosophy understands the goals of propaganda in terms of manipulation rather than deception, and why disinformation is defined in terms of epistemic defectiveness rather than lying. The talk will be designed as a brief introduction to current propaganda-related debates within the analytic philosophy of language and epistemology. It will also incorporate insights from cognitive science and neuroscience if relevant to understanding of propaganda and disinformation.