Molly O’Rourke-Friel

Molly O’Rourke-Friel serves as Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Ursinus College, specializing in social epistemic dependence, echo chambers, group deliberation, epistemic blame, and epistemic autonomy. Her research examines how social contexts shape belief formation and the norms governing healthy epistemic communities.

Education:

• B.A., McGill University
• M.A., University of Massachusetts Amherst
• Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Amherst

Her work in social epistemology investigates the tension between individual epistemic autonomy and social dependence, with specific focus on echo chamber dynamics and the ethical dimensions of epistemic blame. She actively bridges academic philosophy with public engagement through philosophy for children initiatives, having facilitated programs for 7-8 year olds to cultivate critical thinking skills. Dr. O’Rourke-Friel teaches courses including "Echo Chambers, Experts, and Disagreement" and "CIE 1", emphasizing real-world applications of epistemic concepts. Current projects "Human Knowledge: All Natural, Organic" and "Epistemology’s Blame Game" explore foundational questions about knowledge formation and moral responsibility in belief evaluation.