Andre MARTINS - Univ. Sao Paulo - Bresil

Opinion Dynamics and Epistemology


Opinion dynamics models are about the way individuals influence and are influenced by others and the consequences of those influences in the level of society. Similar questions exist in epistemological problems where understanding how scientists decide on their opinions about theories is a central question. As fallible human beings, real scientists are not perfect deciders and this can lead to a number of problems, with some doubt cast on the reliability of their assessments. In this talk, I will present a strategy for exploring this and other related questions by the use of the tools of Sociophysics as well as some first results about the possible detrimental effects of social influence on the conclusions of a community of simulated scientists.