Explicating Evolutionary Epistemological Concerns on Gossip and Cyberbullying.

Abstract

Gossip and bullying have psychosocial concerns and are usually considered as vice, bad, hence, non-virtuous. This paper deals with a plausible modest account for them to be considered not as bad, rather significant behavioral and epistemic tools from evolutionary and epistemological points of view. It adheres to a relationship between gossip and bullying in real (sociobiological-psychological domains) and within cyberspaces. Considering the formation of social relations and orders in reality and virtual platforms, it attempts to understand the issues and advantages gossip poses to societies from a reputational perspective. While evolutionary explanations of complex social behavior are not only difficult, but controversial too, this paper aims to present an evolutionary epistemological perspective to the act of gossiping, to understand the vantage it may have or provide. Usually, gossip and bullying are considered as having a negative connotation, but these are explicated as epistemic access tools for regulation, social order, knowledge gain, and niche construction. Consequently, gossip is showcased as an evolutionary epistemic achievement and virtuous enough to deal with the partly unknown features of the World.