Bert Baumgaertner | Professor

About Me

I am a Professor in the Department of Politics and Philosophy at the University of Idaho. My work is situated at the intersections of cognitive science, philosophy, complex systems, and computational modeling. I am particularly interested in how scientists use diverse modeling techniques to understand the impacts of determinants of belief formation on complex biological and social phenomena. My most recent work focuses on modeling processes of reasoning and cognition, of both humans and AI systems (e.g. LLMs).

My research explores questions about standards of evidence and their connections to opinion dynamics. I often use agent-based models and network theory as methodological tools, as well as survey studies. I am highly collaborative and interdisciplinary; my preference is to focus on questions that interest me rather than worry about disciplinary boundaries. I co-lead the Modeling Core in the Institute for Modeling Collaboration and Innovation at University of Idaho. I'm also the co-founder of the AI Ethics and Inquiry Outfit.

Please feel free to explore my research, publications, and teaching activities using the tabs above. You can contact me via email for inquiries or potential collaborations. For students interested in working with me, I also co-run BAFL (the Bert and Florian Lab) with my political science colleague Dr. Florian Justwan.

Research Interests

Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Collaborations

To date my primary research area has been at the intersection of opinion dynamics, social epistemology, and behavioral epidemiology. I've worked on modeling risk tolerance and its effect on epidemic waves. In social epistemology I've worked on the dynamics of, e.g. reflective equilibrium, the preference for belief, and other determinants of belief formation. From a foundational perspective, I investigate how models and simulations contribute to scientific understanding, especially the epistemic status of models that are highly idealized or abstract.

Computational Modeling & Complex Systems

I use computational methods, especially agent-based modeling, to explore complex systems. This work involves both building models to understand specific phenomena (like the spread of information in social networks) and analyzing the foundations of modeling itself. This approach allows for a "laboratory" for philosophical thought experiments.

Social Epistemology & Network Theory

I apply network theory and modeling to questions in social epistemology. This includes studying how the structure of a scientific community affects its ability to produce knowledge, how consensus and diversity are balanced, and how misinformation can spread through social networks.

Recent Focus: AI Literacy

In recent years, my presentations have focused heavily on the philosophical and ethical dimensions of artificial intelligence. This includes topics such as AI literacy, the role of large language models (LLMs) and chatbots in spreading or combating misinformation, and the inherent biases in generative AI systems.

Selected Publications

This is a selection of my refereed publications. For a complete list, please see my CV or Google Scholar profile.

Heterogeneous risk tolerance, in-groups and epidemic waves.

Tovissode, C., Baumgaertner, B. (2024). Frontiers in Applied Mathematics and Statistics.