Webinar: Epistemological Analysis of Criticisms Regarding Deep Sea Mining of Polymetallic Nodules

Juan Ignacio Guzmán, CEO of GEM, shares the epistemological analysis of criticisms regarding deep-sea mining of polymetallic nodules.

The analysis of criticism from diverse stakeholders was developed using epistemological theory. This philosophical theory proves to be a useful analysis framework for understanding and structuring the varying beliefs behind the propositions, as well as the relations between them and the potential degree of truthfulness of the underlying beliefs.

Based on this epistemological analysis, a set of recommendations in four main dimensions (strategic marketing, corrective or compensatory actions, studies, and breaking down beliefs by refuting underlying beliefs) has been developed with the objective of improving the perception of the diverse stakeholders in the mining of deep-sea nodules.

Juan Ignacio Guzmán is a Civil Industrial Engineer with a specialization in Mining from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and a Ph.D. in Mineral Economics from the same university. Since 2003, he has worked as international mining consultant in over 25 mineral commodities, including copper, gold, lithium, potassium, molybdenum, iron, aluminum, oil, gas, and iodine, among others. In 2008, he founded GEM, where he currently serves as the general manager. At GEM, he has led over 450 studies in the areas of economics, evaluation, strategy, and optimization for the international mining industry. Since 2003, he has been a professor of undergraduate and postgraduate courses at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, University of Chile, and University of Los Andes, teaching courses related to industrial and mining engineering, as well as mineral economics. Since 2023, he has been a professor in the ESG program for mining at the Duke Education Corporation. He is the author of two books and more than 20 scientific articles.