Implicit bias, confabulation, and epistemic innocence

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Science
• Philosophy of Mind
• Social Psychology

Background:

• Implicit bias influences actions, often leading to explanations that misrepresent the true cognitive processes.
• Confabulation, the fabrication of explanations, is common when individuals lack conscious access to their motivations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the epistemic nature and benefits of confabulatory explanations for actions guided by implicit bias.
• To introduce and analyze the concept of 'epistemic innocence' in relation to confabulation.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of confabulation and implicit bias.
• Examination of epistemic costs and benefits of confabulatory explanations.
• Introduction of 'epistemic innocence' as a framework for evaluation.

Main Results:

• Confabulatory explanations can yield significant epistemic benefits not otherwise accessible.
• These explanations may possess 'epistemic innocence' when benefits outweigh faults and alternatives are unavailable.

Conclusions:

• Confabulatory explanations for implicit bias-driven actions warrant a richer epistemic evaluation.
• Contextual factors are crucial in assessing the epistemic value of such explanations.