#862 Lisa Bortolotti: Why Delusions Matter
Dr. Lisa Bortolotti is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Birmingham, affiliated with the Philosophy Department in the School of Philosophy, Theology, and Religion; and with the Institute for Mental Health in the School of Psychology. Her research is in the philosophy of the cognitive sciences. She is the author of The Epistemic Innocence of Irrational Beliefs, and more recently, Why Delusions Matter.
This is our second talk. You can watch the first one, on The Epistemic Innocence of Irrational Beliefs, here: https://youtu.be/v13m30R_xbY
In this episode, we focus on Why Delusions Matter. We start by defining delusions, and the criteria used to classify them. We discuss if there are different types of delusions, and if the term “delusion” is problematic. We talk about what we learn about human cognition by studying delusions, the epistemic needs they fulfill, personal identity, their social component, and their costs and benefits to speakers and interpreters. We discuss how delusions exemplify the strengths of human cognition, and implications for social and political epistemology. Finally, we talk about creating better epistemic environments, and the issue of epistemic responsibility.
Time Links:
Intro
What are delusions?
Why is it that some unusual beliefs are considered delusions and others aren’t?
Being false or badly supported by the evidence
Different types of delusions?
Is the term “delusion” problematic?
Why do delusions matter?
The needs delusions fulfill
Personal identity
Are delusions a social phenomenon?
Costs and benefits for speakers and interpreters
How delusions exemplify the strengths of human cognition
Implications for social and political epistemology
Creating better epistemic environments
Epistemic responsibility: individual or societal?
Follow Dr. Bortolotti’s work!
Follow Dr. Bortolotti’s work:
Faculty page: https://bit.ly/3lDjPvz
Website/blog: https://bit.ly/2Hejl0c
PhilPeople page: https://bit.ly/3f8xs3B
Why Delusions Matter: https://bit.ly/3rm0WVE
Twitter handle: @lisabortolotti