Document details

Bias, Belief, and Conviction in an Age of Fake Facts

London; New York: Routledge (2023), xiii, 212 pp.

Contains bibliogr. pp. 207-212

Series: Routledge Research in Cultural and Media Studies

ISBN 978-1-032-03561-1 (pbk); 978-1-003-18793-6 (ebook)

CC BY-NC-ND

"In this book, authors engage in an interdisciplinary discourse of theory and practice on the concept of personal conviction, addressing the variety of grey zones that mark the concept. Bias, Belief, and Conviction in an Age of Fake Facts discusses where our convictions come from and whether we are aware of them, why they compel us to certain actions, and whether we can change our convictions when presented with opposing evidence, which prove our personal convictions "wrong". Scholars from philosophy, psychology, comparative literature, media studies, applied linguistics, intercultural communication, and education shed light on the topic of personal conviction, crossing disciplinary boundaries and asking questions not only of importance to scholars but also related to the role and possible impact of conviction in the public sphere, education, and in political and cultural discourse. By taking a critical look at personal conviction as an element of inquiry within the humanities and social sciences, this book will contribute substantially to the study of conviction as an aspect of the self we all carry within us and are called upon to examine." (Publisher description)
1 Introduction: New Parameters for Bias, Belief, and Conviction: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of Personal Positions and their Justification / Anke Finger and Manuela Wagner, 1
2 Political Conviction / Michael Lynch, 11
3 Manifesto Moments: Conviction, Reasonable Dissent, and 'Vanguards of the Future' / Anke Finger, 29
4 Convincing Atmospheres? The Influence of Diffuse Factors on Conviction Building / Christiane Heibach, 44
5 'I Believe Because it is Absurd'; or, Pseudoscience / Justin E. H. Smith, 59
6 Conviction, Contemplation, and 'Making a Difference' / Matthew Pianalto, 86
7 Bad and Good Belief? On the Role of Conviction in Religion / Adrian Hermann, 99
8 The Psycho-Social Function of Moral Conviction / Jen Cole Wright, 117
9 Moderating Conviction Through Civility in Education / Deborah Mower, 134
10 Intellectual Humility, Conviction, and Intercultural Citizenship Education / Manuela Wagner and Michael Byram, 156
11 In Pursuit of the Dialogic Classroom: Designing Spaces for Conviction / John Sarrouf, 181
12 Conclusion: Making a Difference for (Self)Reflection and Dialogue / Manuela Wagner and Anke Finger, 202