This seminar is part of the monthly RCPS seminar series.
In this talk, I will present the central findings from my PhD research focusing on this question.A perceived rise in a range of worrying political-epistemic phenomena, including echo chambers, distrust of experts, and disinformation has intrigued journalists and scholars in recent years. My aim is to arrive at a fuller understanding of exactly what is happening in “post-truth” environments characterized by such phenomena, with specific focus on the way they affect epistemic agents. On the basis of four studies into political rhetoric and media manipulation, I argue that post-truth practices can undermine epistemic autonomy in different and sometimes opposite ways. In addition, I highlight how the phenomena considered converge in the important role played by individuals and institutions with power, and that they each achieve their effects on epistemic agency through restructuring the debate. These observations contribute to our insight into the nature and extent of the current epistemic predicament, as well as providing a starting point for further investigations into manipulation, self-trust, responsibility and resistance.