Allen (2023)
Allen, Joshua. (2023) Epistemic Actions: A Scientonomic Framework. Scientonomy 5, 73-91. Retrieved from https://scientojournal.com/index.php/scientonomy/article/view/42266.
| Title | Epistemic Actions: A Scientonomic Framework |
|---|---|
| Resource Type | journal article |
| Author(s) | Joshua Allen |
| Year | 2023 |
| URL | https://scientojournal.com/index.php/scientonomy/article/view/42266 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.33137/js.v5i.42266 |
| Journal | Scientonomy |
| Volume | 5 |
| Pages | 73-91 |
Abstract
In a series of publications, Hasok Chang makes the case that activities carried out by epistemic agents form the basis of the scientific enterprise. This paper provides an action-based scientonomic perspective of scientific practice. I define epistemic action as an action of an epistemic agent that involves an epistemic element and highlight the difference between global and local actions. The availability of a local action to an epistemic agent amounts to the agent employing the norm that the local action is permissible/desirable. To unearth the mechanism by which local actions become available to epistemic agents, I derive the local action availability theorem, according to which, a local epistemic action becomes available to an agent only when its permissibility is derivable from a non-empty subset of other elements of the agent’s mosaic, i.e., from that agent’s employed norms and accepted theories. This framework is then applied to the emergence of the local action of determining the composition of chemical substances by weighing as practiced by Lavoisier and his followers; it is shown that the respective norm became employed in accord with the local action availability theorem.
Theories
Here are all the theories formulated in Allen (2023):
| Theory | Type | Formulation | Formulated In |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Epistemic Action (Allen-2023) | Definition | An epistemic action that is not available trans-historically to all epistemic agents, but is specific to some time periods or some agents. | 2023 |
| Epistemic Action (Allen-2023) | Definition | An action of an epistemic agent that involves an epistemic element. | 2023 |
| Global Epistemic Action (Allen-2023) | Definition | An epistemic action that is available to all epistemic agents trans-historically and universally. | 2023 |
| Local Action Availability (Allen-2023) | Definition | A local action A is said to be available to an epistemic agent iff that agent employs the norm “A is permissible/desirable”. | 2023 |
| Local Epistemic Action Exists | Descriptive | There is such a thing as a local epistemic action. | 2023 |
| Epistemic Action Exists | Descriptive | There is such a thing as an epistemic action. | 2023 |
| Local Epistemic Action Is a Subtype of Epistemic Action (Allen-2023) | Descriptive | Local Epistemic Action is a subtype of Epistemic Action, i.e. epistemic action is a supertype of local epistemic action. | 2023 |
| Local Action Availability theorem (Allen-2023) | Descriptive | A local epistemic action becomes available to an agent only when its permissibility/desirability is derivable from a non-empty subset of other elements of the agent’s mosaic. | 2023 |
| Global Epistemic Action Is a Subtype of Epistemic Action (Allen-2023) | Descriptive | Global Epistemic Action is a subtype of Epistemic Action, i.e. epistemic action is a supertype of global epistemic action. | 2023 |
| Global Epistemic Action Exists | Descriptive | There is such a thing as a global epistemic action. | 2023 |
Suggested Modifications
Here are all the modifications suggested in Allen (2023):
- Sciento-2023-0005: Accept the definition of epistemic action as an action of an epistemic agent that involves an epistemic element. The modification was suggested to Scientonomy community by Joshua Allen on 31 December 2023.1 The modification was accepted on 23 February 2024. The modification was discussed during the 2024 workshop. There was very minimal discussion on the modification overall. Paul Patton noted that he would like to see a broader taxonomy of possible epistemic actions once the modification was accepted by the community. Josh Allen agreed that the construction of such a taxonomy based on studies of historical episodes would benefit the community in the long run. Finally, Jamie Shaw noted that, as Stephanie Cui pointed out in her presentation during the 2024 Winter School, agents can unintentionally take actions that have epistemic consequences. Hence, the broader definition proposed by the modification seemed better than the narrower one. The modification was unanimously accepted with 16 votes.
- Sciento-2023-0006: Accept that epistemic actions can be local or global. Also accept the definition of global epistemic action as an epistemic action that is available to all epistemic agents trans-historically and universally and the definition of local epistemic action as an epistemic action that is not available trans-historically to all epistemic agents, but is specific to some time periods or some agents. The modification was suggested to Scientonomy community by Joshua Allen on 31 December 2023.1 The modification was accepted on 23 February 2024. The modification was discussed during the 2024 workshop. Rebecca Muscant and Jamie Shaw wondered if the modification implied that there is such a thing as a global epistemic action. Hakob Barseghyan clarified that, according to what we accept as a community, there must be some global epistemic actions in order for the process of scientific change to occur at all; for instance, it is inconceivable for scientific change to occur without the possibility of theory acceptance. More specific actions, on the other hand, like pursuing a theory, could be considered local. Shaw noted that one could conceive of an agent that uses and pursues theories without accepting any due to socio-cultural barriers. Barseghyan and Allen responded to Shaw, arguing that even if it turns out that accepting a theory is not a global epistemic action, the epistemic action of taking a stance seems to be global. Paul Patton suggested that more work is needed to discern different subtypes of epistemic actions, such as actions with epistemic elements vs. socio-technical actions (e.g. experimenting). The participants generally agreed on the need to conduct future studies before claims could be made about subtypes of epistemic actions or the global/local status of specific epistemic actions. With these clarifications in mind, the modification was accepted unanimously with 16 votes.
- Sciento-2023-0007: Accept that the a local action A is said to be available to an epistemic agent iff that agent employs the norm “A is permissible/desirable”. Also accept the theorem of local action availability as a deductive consequence of this definition and the law of norm employment: a local epistemic action becomes available to an agent only when its permissibility/desirability is derivable from a non-empty subset of other elements of the agent’s mosaic. The modification was suggested to Scientonomy community by Joshua Allen on 31 December 2023.1 The modification is currently being evaluated; a verdict is pending. The modification can only become accepted once modification Sciento-2023-0006 becomes accepted.
