For example, the capacity of science to exercise epistemic or moral authority is vastly different in a muslim nation such as pakistan or egypt than in a western nation such as germany or england. Sometimes it is epistemically beneficial to form a belief on authority. A theory of trust, authority, and autonomy in belief linda zagzebski oxford univerity press reprint 2015 296 pp. Epistemic proceduralism and democratic authority david estlund 2. Who are the epistemic authority, what is the epistemological. Authority, and autonomy in belief 2012 is the preemption thesis for epistemic authority. Research on epistemic beliefs has been hampered by lack of validated models and measurement instruments. Studies within the audiovisual prosody perspective have shown that gestural. It has occupied philosophers at least since the time of plato, and it continues to provide a central field of study in.
In part i, he elucidates the concept of authority and its relation to autonomy, and then traces the historical growth of scientific authority and its place in contemporary american society. The function and limits of epistemic authority the function and limits of epistemic authority george, richard t. A learners motivation towards knowledge as an object influences their knowledge acquisition. Trust, authority and epistemic responsibility trusting others is one of the most common epistemic practices to make sense of the world around us. On the evidentialist side, the most puritan and antitestimonial position refuses any kind of epistemic authority to testimony. The article argues that women enjoyed circumstantial epistemic authority and that the legitimization of this authority usually involved a complicated sociocultural process involving the presence of qualifying reasons and corroborating empirical evidence.
Believing on another persons authority is of epistemological interest. Epistemic authority is compatible with autonomy, but epistemic selfreliance is incoherent. Linda zagzebskis highly ambitious book on epistemic authority manages to be both. Epistemic community international relations britannica. Origgi, gloria at highschool in italy many years ago i heard my teacher of latin say. Studies within the audiovisual prosody perspective have shown that gestural and prosodic patterns can act as conveyors of several. One of the key tenets of linda zagzebskis book epistemic authority is the preemption thesis. Pdf epistemic authority, testimony and the transmission of. The function and limits of epistemic authority, the. This paper clarifies the notion of epistemic insouciance and argues that epistemic insouciance is both an epistemic posture and an epistemic vice. The acceptance of authority over certain beliefs extends to moral and religious beliefs and is not only consistent with autonomy, but is entailed by. Epistemic agency catherine z elgin harvard university, usa abstract virtue epistemologists hold that knowledge results from the display of epistemic virtues openmindedness, rigor, sensitivity to evidence, and the like.
But he is also aware of their limits, as many recent commentators have emphasized. I apply epistemic authority to authority in communities, defend epistemic authority in the domains of morality and religion, and argue that the account of epistemic authority i give shows that epistemic authority is compatible with intellectual autonomy. In this book linda trinkaus zagzebski gives an extended argument that the selfreflective person is committed to belief on authority. We have seen the structure of epistemic proceduralism in chapter 6, and a general nonvoluntaristic approach to political authority, the normative consent approach, has been laid out in chapter 7. On the contrary, deference to epistemic authority is a necessary part of human living in general and is especially indispensable in a modern, sciencebased society with an advanced division of cognitive labour fricker 1998. Epistemic justification in a functionalistic and naturalistic perspective 61 experience and fact 61 problems of commoncause epistemology 62 modes of justification 64 the evolutionary aspect of sensory epistemology 68. This book gives an extended argument for epistemic authority from the implications of reflective selfconsciousness. It examines the nature of scientists cognitive and moral authority. Jan 01, 2015 linda zagzebskis highly ambitious book on epistemic authority manages to be both. But epistemology cannot rest satisfied with a list of the virtues.
Pdf epistemic authority, testimony and the transmission. According to a recent account of epistemic authority proposed by linda zagzebski 2012, it is rational for laypersons to believe on authority when they conscientiously judge that the authority is more likely to form true beliefs and avoid false ones than they are in some domain. Forest professionals claim and epistemic authority in the face of societal and climate change. Epistemic authority and the limits of the political model. Zagzebski argues that the fact that an authority holds a belief, which we may call an authoritative reason, often gives a person a good reason to hold it himself. I strongly recommend it, especially to anyone who is interested in epistemic autonomy, epistemic authority, and the rational defensibility of faith and of believing on the authority of ones epistemic community. Believing on authority is a demand of conscientious selfgovernance. L ike with her celebrated virtues of the mind, linda zagzebski again examines the application of concepts familiar in a different normative domain. Alternatively, you can download the file locally and open with any standalone pdf reader.
A theory of trust, authority, and autonomy in belief this book gives an extended argument for epistemic authority from the. A particularly important instance of our epistemic reliance on others is our dependence on epistemic authorities. This book is primarily about the exercise of epistemic and moral authority by science in the united states. Such professionals may have different backgrounds and may be located in different countries, but they share a set. Epistemology is the philosophical project of formulating such an explanation. Pdf one of the key tenets of linda zagzebskis book epistemic authority. Introduction assume that for many choices faced by a political community, some alter natives are better than others by standards that are in some way objective. Robertson 2016 points here to an important aspect of the epistemic authority of conspiracy theorists.
The epistemological authority of testimony fernando broncano. Epistemic authority, testimony and the transmission of knowledge article pdf available in episteme 403. People generally agree that there is something valuable about thinking for oneself rather than simply accepting beliefs on authority, but it is not at all obvious why this is valuable. It says that, when an agent learns that an epistemic authority believes that p, the rational response for her is to adopt that belief and to replace all of her previous reasons relevant to whether p by the reason that the authority believes that p. In this chapter, i sketch some main elements of a longer argument to the. Brown this book aims to provide a rich, overarching account of the authority of science in american society. Aquinas on the epistemology of authority thomistica. Epistemic authority, testimony and the transmission of knowledge volume 4 issue 3 arnon keren skip to main content we use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Epistemic definition of epistemic by merriamwebster. Epistemic authority, preemptive reasons, and understanding. Preserving the epistemic authority of science in world politics. Heraclitus im not sure what he says the epistemic authority is. Epistemic motivation is the desire to develop and maintain a rich and thorough understanding of a situation, utilizing ones beliefs towards knowledge and the process of building knowledge. Epistemic community, in international relations, a network of professionals with recognized expertise and authoritative claims to policyrelevant knowledge in a particular issue area.
Religion and science are frequently seen to be in dramatic opposition. Often, accounts of such epistemic authority suggest that it is constituted by a connection to a certain set of true beliefs. Testimony, trust, and authority develops and defends an interpersonal theory of testimony according to which a speakers testimony provides an audience with a distinctively secondpersonal reason for belief. Authority, and autonomy in belief by linda trinkaus zagzebski. What is the epistemic authorityepistemic problem according to these philosophers. Costs and benefits 53 the deficiency of skepticism 56 chapter 4. Threefactor structure for epistemic belief inventory. In part ii, he analyzes how scientific authority plays out in relation to other social domains.
She argues that epistemic and emotional selftrust are rational and inescapable, that consistent selftrust commits us to trust in others, and that among those we are. In part ii, he analyzes how scientific authority plays out in relation to other social domains, such as law, religion, government, and the public sphere. Trust, authority and epistemic responsibility core reader. Epistemic authority, testimony and the transmission of. But practical authority can emerge from epistemic, e. If the inline pdf is not rendering correctly, you can download the pdf file here.
Epistemic logical topics discussed include the language and semantics of basic epistemic logic, multiagent epistemic logic, combined epistemic doxastic logic, and a glimpse of dynamic epistemic logic. Zagzebski proposes an epistemic analogue of razs preemption thesis, which states that the fact that an authority has a belief p is a preemptive reason for me to believe p 107. Dennett argues that we can be mistaken about our own conscious experience. Aquinas believes that human reason and good argumentation can get us pretty far. Epistemic authority of women in the medieval middle east. It is quite clear that many of the justifications for authority which were previously given.
A normative account of belief on authority will show how the agent believing on authority can secure certain epistemic goods as a result. Put generally, in the epistemic interpretation, democratic decisionmaking processes are valued at least in part for their knowledgeproducing potential and defended in relation to this. Holliday university of california, berkeley abstract this chapter provides a brief introduction to propositional epistemic logic and its applications to epistemology. The most widely used instrument is the epistemological questionnaire, which has been criticized for validity, and it has been proposed a new instrument based in the epistemological questionnaire. These limits are both natural and the result of sin.
The epistemic and moral authority of science in american society are more vigorously and publicly challenged through its conflicts with religion than with any other sector of society. The epistemology of testimony download ebook pdf, epub. Xenophanes i think he says the epistemic authority is 1 god and the epistemic problem is bridging the gap between human opinion and divine knowledge. Epistemic authority of women in the medieval middle east in. Epistemic definition of epistemic by the free dictionary. The ultimate aim is to vindicate epistemic authority as a crucial and unavoidable aspect of our intellectual liveswhere this includes the moral and religious dimensions of our lives, as well as our more narrowly theoretical concerns. Oct 01, 2008 what is the epistemic authority epistemic problem according to these philosophers. No unchallengeable epistemic authority, of any sort. In this chapter i will argue that an epistemic proceduralist account of democratic authority can be grounded in normative consent.
Epistemic authority, testimony and the transmission of knowledge volume 4 issue 3 arnon keren. Epistemic authority a theory of trust, authority, and autonomy in belief linda trinkaus zagzebski. Philosophy of or relating to knowledge or epistemology 2. Epistemic authority is rich, wideranging, and provocative. Epistemic definition is of or relating to knowledge or knowing. Such professionals may have different backgrounds and may be located in different countries, but they share a set of norms that motivate their common action, a set of beliefs about central problems in their area. The results showed that a teachers subject matter, as well as students age and gender. The present study examines students perception of the teachers role as epistemic authorities, that is, a source of determinative influence on the formation of individuals knowledge, from three perspectives. What is wanted is a criterion for being an epistemic.
Sometimes we have reasons to trust, sometimes not, and many times our main reason to trust is based on the epistemic authority we. Epistemic justification in a functionalistic and naturalistic perspective 61 experience and fact 61 problems of commoncause epistemology 62 modes of justification 64 the evolutionary aspect of sensory epistemology 68 rational versus natural selection 69 against pureintellectualism 74 the problem of error 76 conclusion 78. A theory of trust, authority, and autonomy in belief 20121 linda zegzebski explores these questions and presents a detailed account of the nature of, and rationality conditions for, adopting or adjusting beliefs on. Nevertheless, i relied on my teachers intellectual authority to. Epistemic authority hardcover linda trinkaus zagzebski.
For example, suppose that progressive income tax rates armore just than a flat rate, even after considering effects on efficiency. The work on epistemic authority highlights the centrality, and special role of social source effects, including the self as a source, in the knowledge formation process. A theory of trust, authority, and autonomy in belief 2012 is the. Epistemic justification in a functionalistic and naturalistic perspective 61 experience and fact 61 problems of commoncause epistemology 62 modes of justification 64 the. Epistemic authority refers to a source that an individual may depend on for knowledge acquisition. One of the key tenets of linda zagzebskis book epistemic authority. Epistemic authority and thinking for oneself philosophical lecture read 26 june 2018 ursula coope abstract. Perry 1970 has delineated the developmental trajectory of epistemic beliefs into four stages. She also formulates epistemic analogues for razs normal justification thesis in order to justify taking a belief on epistemic authority. Epistemological topics discussed include mooreparadoxical phenomena, the surprise exam paradox, logical omniscience and epistemic clo. She argues that epistemic and emotional selftrust are rational and inescapable, that consistent selftrust commits us to trust in others, and that among those we are committed to trusting are some whom we ought to treat as epistemic authorities, modeled. Epistemic postures are attitudes towards epistemic objects such as knowledge, evidence, or inquiry.
No unchallengeable epistemic authority, of any sort, regarding our own conscious experience contra dennett. First, it examines 7th and 10th graders perception of their teachers as epistemic authorities. It will generously reward a careful and thorough read. In interpersonal relations, epistemic motivation is the desire to process information thoroughly, and thus grasp. Jul 19, 2017 a normative account of belief on authority will show how the agent believing on authority can secure certain epistemic goods as a result. This is not a commonly accepted position in current epistemology, so zagzebski begins by attempting to ground the acceptance of epistemic. I had a vague idea of what a synecdoche was, and ignored until then that one could characterize ciceros writing in this way. Slave law and nazi propaganda undermine both epistemic and practical authority of their targets. Discusses epistemic authority in communities as well as between individuals. If you do not see its contents the file may be temporarily unavailable at the journal website or you do not have a pdf plugin installed and enabled in your browser. Individuals with a dualistic view of knowledge believe in rightorwrong knowledge handed down by authority. First book to apply the ideas of authority and autonomy as used in moral and political philosophy to the domain of belief. It says that, when an agent realizes that an epistemic authority believes that p, the epistemically rational response for her is to adopt the authoritys belief and to replace all of.
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