Abstract

In this paper, I argue that epistemic injustice in healthcare settings can contribute to patients’ rational mistrust of healthcare providers and the healthcare system, leaving these individuals vulnerable to rational belief in health-related conspiracy theories. I focus on the ways in which two kinds of epistemic injustice – testimonial injustice and hermeneutical injustice – can contribute to specifically women's rational mistrust of healthcare providers, as well as a rational mistrust of the mainstream healthcare system more generally. Once patients mistrust healthcare providers and/or the healthcare system, it seems rational for victims of these testimonial injustices seek out information from sources other than the mainstream healthcare system. This leaves them particularly vulnerable to rational belief in potentially harmful health-related conspiracy theories, especially given the easy access we all have to health-related misinformation and conspiracy via the Internet and social media. In this sense, then, experiences of epistemic injustice can contribute to individuals’ rational belief in health-related conspiracy theories.