antibilgi

Antibilgi is a term used in Turkish-language discourse to describe attitudes, movements, or practices that oppose or devalue knowledge. It is closely linked to anti-intellectualism and to patterns of information skepticism that can facilitate the spread of false or oversimplified explanations. In academic and media analyses, antibilgi is used to discuss how knowledge is challenged, misrepresented, or undermined in public debates.

The word is formed from anti- (a prefix used in many languages) and bilgi, the Turkish word for knowledge. It is not a formally defined field, and its precise usage varies among writers, journalists, and scholars. The term commonly appears in discussions of online discourse, political rhetoric, and cultural debates in Turkey and in Turkish-language media.

Antibilgi can refer to deliberate misinformation campaigns as well as to more diffuse attitudes that distrust experts, prefer anecdotal evidence, or selectively cite data. It encompasses both intentional manipulation of information and uncritical rejection of established knowledge, making it a broad descriptor for the information-ecosystem dynamics that challenge evidence-based understanding.

Related concepts include misinformation, disinformation, anti-intellectualism, conspiracy thinking, and epistemic populism. While they overlap, antibilgi emphasizes the stance toward knowledge itself rather than the specific content being spread.

See also: misinformation, disinformation, anti-intellectualism, conspiracy theory, epistemology, information literacy.