Basic Information about the Project

Project title: Knowledge in the Age of Distrust (TRUST)
Reg. No.: CZ.02.01.01/00/23_025/0008711

Beneficiary: Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences
Partners: University of Hradec Králové, Institute of Computer Science of the Czech Academy of Sciences

Start date of the physical implementation of the project: 1 January 2025
End date of the physical implementation of the project: 31 December 2028
Project duration: 48 months

What Is the Aim of the Project?

The main aim of the project is to examine the influence of new technologies and related innovations on the processes of generating, circulating, verifying, adapting and applying knowledge in society. The project will design and develop specific tools for the analysis and modelling of information and knowledge flows, while combining and applying methods from several academic disciplines. It will seek to answer the question of what makes knowledge relevant, trustworthy and acceptable, both from the perspective of models of human rationality and its limits and from the perspective of diversity and different forms of communication. The project will also examine and model appropriate types of environments, interactions, educational and other measures that support the development of critical thinking and argumentation skills. For this reason, the project integrates the expertise and methods of several academic disciplines, particularly philosophy, sociology, computer science and the history of science, with the aim of comprehensively analysing and explaining the influence of new information technologies on scientific knowledge and societal trust in expert knowledge.

The analyses should result in a comprehensive view of the nature of knowledge in the context of technological, social and cognitive processes, making it possible to identify an epistemological framework, that is, the key factors shaping the dynamics of processes of cognition, communication and argumentation that either build or undermine trust in expert knowledge. Understanding these factors should make it possible to influence these processes at the level of their dynamics so as to slow down destabilising factors and, on this basis, strengthen stability. It is not sufficient to address only their security and ethical consequences, because the development of security and ethical responses to disruptive technologies lags behind the dynamics of their advancement. It is therefore essential to understand the information flows and communication processes associated with the rapid spread of these technologies at the level of their dynamics, rather than only at the level of their consequences. The project emphasises issues relating to the human dimension of new technologies and artificial intelligence, or more specifically, the question of incorporating human values into their “design”. In its practical applications, it seeks to strengthen individual competencies, for example through new methods for developing and teaching critical thinking and argumentation; to democratise knowledge through the development of software, new digital applications and the open sharing of knowledge; and, last but not least, to examine new opportunities for communicating and disseminating scientific findings, expert knowledge and information in the information society. The project results are intended to contribute to a deeper understanding of the challenges, threats and opportunities associated with the use of new technologies in contemporary society and to support transparent, responsible and ethical scientific practice.

Last but not least, the aim of the TRUST project is also to critically examine the nature, sources, limits and transformations of knowledge under the current conditions of the rapid emergence of new information and communication technologies and artificial intelligence. Knowledge, particularly expert and scientific knowledge, plays a key role in human society and in its ability to respond to various types of opportunities, threats and emerging trends. Advanced technologies are paradigmatic achievements of expert knowledge, making the production, circulation and application of knowledge in society more efficient at many levels. At the same time, however, they also bring new challenges for modern society, which must be subjected to continuous critical reflection in relation to fundamental philosophical questions associated with the concept of knowledge, its sources, and the ways in which people understand the world around them, share their findings and reflect upon them. The project is based on the assumption that such reflection requires an interdisciplinary approach, particularly the interconnection and cooperation of the humanities and social sciences with computer science and cognitive science, as well as the inclusion of a wide range of perspectives and contexts, including broader historical, social and cultural perspectives. Within its principal research objectives, the project focuses in particular on the following current questions:

• How do new technologies and digital platforms influence the ways in which people understand, produce and communicate scientific knowledge?
• What epistemological consequences and risks do these technological innovations entail?
• How do new technologies transform science itself and the scientific process, and what influence do they have on the authority and credibility of scientific knowledge in society?
• How do new technologies intervene in information flows in society and in interpersonal communication?
• How do they affect the dissemination of knowledge and innovation, or, conversely, the proliferation of information noise, information overload, disinformation, conspiracy theories, scientific hoaxes, etc.?

Project Structure

The TRUST project consists of two research objectives: (RO1) Science, Scientific Knowledge and Disruptive Technologies comprises six complementary research activities devoted, for example, to the epistemological and normative issues involved in the study of disruptive technologies; network analysis as a tool for studying rationality; the communication and dissemination of knowledge and innovation from historical and sociological perspectives; and the relationship between artificial intelligence and symbolic logic. (RO2) Rationality and Logic for the Information Society comprises six research activities based methodologically on critical and logical analyses of reason and rationality. These activities focus primarily on research into the cognitive and rational principles of communication, critical reflection on critical thinking, the analysis of logical aspects of rationality and knowledge, and the examination of the credibility and communication of science in the information society.

RO1 – Science, Scientific Knowledge and Disruptive Technologies

This research objective focuses on the interdisciplinary examination of the dynamics of scientific knowledge in the context of technological development, innovation and the influence of disruptive technologies, particularly information and communication technologies, especially AI, on cognitive processes, the credibility of science and technology, and their role in society. In order to investigate the assumptions, parameters and specific discursive practices of scientific cognition in relation to the technologies produced and used, the team incorporates and integrates, in accordance with its research aims, competencies from several disciplines, particularly philosophy, logic, computer science, sociology and history. The interdisciplinary expertise of the participating institutions and experts makes it possible to study the production, distribution, communication and institutionalisation of scientific knowledge, particularly from the perspectives of the philosophy of science, philosophy of mind and ethics (RA1), logic and computer science (RA2), in conjunction with the practical aspects of automated analysis of textual data (RA3), as well as with an emphasis on the social dimensions of science and innovation using perspectives from the sociology of science (RA4), the history and philosophy of science, intellectual history and digital humanities in analyses of the development of the communication of scientific knowledge (RA5), and, last but not least, the historical and historico-philosophical formation of fundamental methodological frameworks (RA6).

RO2 – Rationality and Logic for the Information Society

This research objective is oriented towards the interdisciplinary examination of changes in the functioning and dynamics of information and communication flows, rationality, and reasoning about knowledge in contemporary society, which has been profoundly affected by the rapid development of information technologies and artificial intelligence. It integrates expertise and competencies from several disciplines, particularly philosophy, logic, computer science and sociology, and connects the issues addressed with research findings from the interdisciplinary field of cognitive science. It seeks to contribute to research into highly topical issues and societal challenges, including information overload, the more extensive spread of disinformation and conspiracy theories, manipulation of public opinion, the relativisation of facts and expertise, the polarisation of social views, and the creation and radicalisation of social bubbles. The assembled team of experts makes it possible to develop systematic interdisciplinary research into rationality and reason from the perspectives of philosophy and logic (RA1), the cognitive and rational principles of information flows and communication (RA2), reflection on the limits and application of critical thinking (RA3), and the communication of scientific knowledge and the societal credibility of science and expertise (RA4), drawing on competencies in philosophy, logic, sociology and computer science. Last but not least, it also addresses related issues concerning communication and language, reasoning and logical systems (RA5), including the logical aspects of rationality and knowledge (RA6), while also drawing on the team’s broader expertise in philosophy, logic, mathematics and computer science.

International Scientific Advisory Board (ISAB)

The ISAB is designed as an independent advisory body in the area of strategy and the evaluation of the activities of the project’s expert team. The ISAB will consist of four distinguished international experts working in fields of research and development relevant to the issues addressed by the project. In nominating ISAB members, consideration was given not only to the nominees’ expert links to the scientific questions investigated within both interdisciplinary ROs, but also to their experience in scientific management, the management of research teams and projects, the development and implementation of international scientific cooperation, and the strengthening of the societal relevance of research, including increasing the application potential of scientific activities and results. The ISAB will oversee the progress of the project, assess the quality of its research activities and formulate expert recommendations for the management and administration of the project. The ISAB will meet once a year on the occasion of the project’s regular review conference, at which the project results and progress achieved to date will be presented.

List of ISAB Members