Skip to main content
Endogenous epistemic factionalization
Published Web Location
http://cailinoconnor.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Epistemic-Factionalization-FINAL.pdfNo data is associated with this publication.
Abstract
Why do people who disagree about one subject tend to disagree about other subjects as well? In this paper, we introduce a model to explore this phenomenon of ‘epistemic factionization’. Agents attempt to discover the truth about multiple propositions 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.
Many UC-authored scholarly publications are freely available on this site because of the UC's open access policies. Let us know how this access is important for you.