Non-Hierarchical Authority Delegation
What is non-hierarchical authority delegation? How should it be defined?
When the authority over a certain topic is delegated to more than one expert, it is conceivable that sometimes the opinions of different experts can be given the same weight. In such cases, the delegation would be non-hierarchical. The question here is how the notion of non-hierarchical authority delegation is to be defined.
In the scientonomic context, this question was first formulated by Mirka Loiselle in 2017. The question is currently accepted as a legitimate topic for discussion by Scientonomy community. Non-Hierarchical Authority Delegation (Loiselle-2017) is currently accepted by Scientonomy community as the best available definition of the term. It is defined as: "A sub-type of multiple authority delegation where different communities are delegated the same degree of authority over topic x."
Contents
Scientonomic History
Acceptance Record
| Community | Accepted From | Acceptance Indicators | Still Accepted | Accepted Until | Rejection Indicators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scientonomy | 19 May 2017 | The publication of the article by Loiselle titled Multiple Authority Delegation in Art Authentication is a good indication of acceptance of the question. | Yes |
All Theories
| Theory | Formulation | Formulated In |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hierarchical Authority Delegation (Loiselle-2017) | A sub-type of multiple authority delegation where different communities are delegated the same degree of authority over topic x. | 2017 |
| Non-Hierarchical Authority Delegation (Patton-2019) | A sub-type of multiple authority delegation where different epistemic agents are delegated the same degree of authority over question x. | 2019 |
Accepted Theories
| Community | Theory | Accepted From | Accepted Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scientonomy | Non-Hierarchical Authority Delegation (Loiselle-2017) | 23 October 2018 |
Suggested Modifications
| Modification | Community | Date Suggested | Summary | Verdict | Verdict Rationale | Date Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sciento-2017-0007 | Scientonomy | 19 May 2017 | Accept the definitions of the following subtypes of authority delegation: singular authority delegation, multiple authority delegation, hierarchical authority delegation, and non-hierarchical authority delegation. | Accepted | While the notions of singular and multiple authority delegation didn't cause much controversy, the notions of hierarchical and non-hierarchical authority delegation gave rise to notable disagreement among scientonomists. As a result, the modification was in discussion for about a year and a half.c1 Eventually, a consensus emerged mostly as a result of offline (in-person) discussion meetings. It was agreed that "for decisions that are not rote and routine, it seems highly unlikely that a pre-established hierarchy of authority delegation does or could exist, nor could a pre-established belief that all authorities should be given equal weight".c2 However, it was also agreed that Loiselle's study "have identified at least one aspect of hierarchical authority delegation in epistemic communities",c3 for "there seem to be instances where some experts occupy privileged positions in the eyes of those delegating authority" and that "alone is sufficient to suggest that hierarchies of authority delegation exists, regardless of of how transient or fixed they might be".c4 | 23 October 2018 |
| Sciento-2019-0017 | Scientonomy | 26 December 2019 | Accept the definitions of authority delegation, and its subtypes, that generalize the currently accepted definitions to apply to all epistemic agents, rather than only communities. | Open |
Current Definition
In Scientonomy, the accepted definition of the term is Non-Hierarchical Authority Delegation (Loiselle-2017).
Non-Hierarchical Authority Delegation (Loiselle-2017) states: "A sub-type of multiple authority delegation where different communities are delegated the same degree of authority over topic x."
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Non-hierarchical authority delegation is a sub-type of multiple authority delegation. It describes a situation in which a community delegates authority over some topic to multiple communities, and treat each community as being at the same level of authority. Consider a case of multiple authority delegation in which either expert A OR expert B might be consulted. If the word of expert A is valued as equally as the word of expert B, we have a case of non-hierarchical authority delegation.
At the moment, non-hierarchical authority delegation is only a theoretical possibility. No historical examples have been found.
Ontology
Existence
There is currently no accepted view concerning the existence of non-hierarchical authority delegations.
Disjointness
No classes are currently accepted as being disjoint with this class.
Subtypes
No classes are currently accepted as subtypes of a non-hierarchical authority delegation.
Supertypes
No classes are currently accepted as supertypes of a non-hierarchical authority delegation.
Associations
No associations of a non-hierarchical authority delegation are currently accepted.
If a question concerning the ontology of a non-hierarchical authority delegation is missing, please add it here.
Dynamics
If a question concerning the dynamics of a non-hierarchical authority delegation is missing, please add it here.
Related Topics
This term is also related to the following topic(s):
