Leveraging Philosophical and Folk Conceptions of Truth to Improve Science Communication Practices

Abstract

 Partisans in the U.S. debate the truth of scientific conclusions about some of the most threatening natural phenomena the world faces (e.g., climate change, COVID-19). Discouraged by such debates, influential media outlets have declared this a “post-truth era.” Absent from these conversations, however, is a critical question: What is truth? While philosophers have sought an answer for centuries, little research has interrogated how ordinary people conceptualize truth. Might such folk conceptions of truth differ from how philosophers and scientists think about truth? Given widespread disagreement about the truth of many topics within environmental, energy, and health sciences—fueled by the increasing politicization of science—it is critical to better understand citizens’ acceptance and skepticism of scientific conclusions. To that end, our project aims to tackle two key questions: 1) Do folk conceptions of truth depart from philosophical accounts of truth in a way that helps explain why politicized topics receive such divergent truth labels? 2) How can science—especially in the case of politicized topics—be communicated in a way that promotes both trust and public acceptance of scientific knowledge?

Presentations

• Rarely Pure and Never Simple: Truth evaluations and the role of intent, Society for Philosophy and Psychology, July 2022
• Rarely Pure and Never Simple: Truth evaluations and the role of intent, Max Planck Summer Institute on Bounded Rationality, June 2022
• Rarely pure and never simple: Truth, Trust, and the Role of Intent in Expert Testimony, Values in Medicine, Science, and Technology, May 2022
• Evaluations of Truth and Trustworthiness, Air Force Office of Sponsored Research Trust and Influence Program Review, September 2022
• Nothing but the Truth? Exploring the Role of Intent in Lay Conceptions of Truth, Society for Personality and Social Psychology, February 2023
• Examining truth in the Post-Truth Era, National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship Conference, July 2023 (delivered by Isaac Handley-Miner)
• Do the intentions of information sources sway people’s truth classifications?, Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP), February 2023 (delivered by Isaac Handley-Miner)
• Truth evaluations are sensitive to intent, even when beliefs are controlled for, Misinformation and Belief Science Preconference at Society for Personality and Social Psychology, February 2023 (delivered by Isaac Handley-Miner)
  

Publications 

• Handley-Miner, I.J., Pope, M., Atkins, R.K. et al. The intentions of information sources can affect what information people think qualifies as true. Scientific Reports 13, 7718 (2023). 
  

Additional Grants

• Truth in the age of large language models, Sloan Foundation ($249,538). Continuation of this work in the AI space led by Isaac Handley-Miner (PhD student on SIGECS project).
  

Media

• The Truth of the Matter, press release from Boston College prepared by Ed Hayward 
• How source intent influences perceptions of truth, Neuroscience News
• Study shows intentions of information source can affect what Americans think qualifies as true
  
• Putting Truth to the Test, BC News

Students Trained 

• 2 Graduate Students: 
  • Isaac Handley-Miner, Psychology & Neuroscience
  • Michael Pope, Philosophy
    

Additional Accomplishments 

• Graduate Student Poster Award Runner-Up at Society for Personality and Social Psychology 2023 for "Do the intentions of information sources sway people’s truth classifications?"