Singular Authority Delegation
What is singular authority delegation? How should it be defined?
While in some cases the authority can be delegated to one expert community, in other cases the authority can be delegated to more than one community. Thus the distinction between singular and multiple authority delegations. The question here is how the notion of singular authority delegation is to be defined.1
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. Singular Authority Delegation (Loiselle-2017) is currently accepted by Scientonomy community as the best available definition of the term. It is defined as: "Community A is said to engage in a relationship of singular authority delegation over topic x iff community A delegates authority over topic x to exactly one community."
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Singular Authority Delegation (Loiselle-2017) | Community A is said to engage in a relationship of singular authority delegation over topic x iff community A delegates authority over topic x to exactly one community. | 2017 |
| Singular Authority Delegation (Patton-2019) | Epistemic agent A is said to engage in a relationship of singular authority delegation over question x iff A delegates authority over question x to exactly one epistemic agent. | 2019 |
Accepted Theories
| Community | Theory | Accepted From | Accepted Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scientonomy | Singular 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 Singular Authority Delegation (Loiselle-2017).
Singular Authority Delegation (Loiselle-2017) states: "Community A is said to engage in a relationship of singular authority delegation over topic x iff community A delegates authority over topic x to exactly one community."
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Singular authority delegation is a sub-type of authority delegation. It describes a situation in which a community delegates authority over some topic to a single community.
Instances of singular authority delegation occur commonly in the art world. Typically, the art market recognizes only one individual or community as being the sole expert on matters of attribution for a given artist. For example, the art market always and only consults the Wildenstein Institute to answer questions over the authenticity of paintings by Monet.
Another example of singular authority delegation is the relationship between the art market and the two people considered experts on Picasso: Maya Widmaier-Picasso and Claude Ruiz-Picasso. For matters of authenticity concerning the works of Picasso, the art market always and only delegates authority to the combined Maya-Claude mosaic. The art market will only accept a Picasso painting as authentic if both Maya and Claude agree that it is so. Maya and Claude are two separate authorities, and do not always agree. However, because the art market only delegates authority to a single entity-- the mosaic composed of theories agreed upon by Maya and Claude-- this is an instance of singular authority delegation.
Ontology
Existence
There is currently no accepted view concerning the existence of singular authority delegations.
Disjointness
No classes are currently accepted as being disjoint with this class.
Subtypes
No classes are currently accepted as subtypes of a singular authority delegation.
Supertypes
No classes are currently accepted as supertypes of a singular authority delegation.
Associations
No associations of a singular authority delegation are currently accepted.
If a question concerning the ontology of a singular authority delegation is missing, please add it here.
Dynamics
If a question concerning the dynamics of a singular authority delegation is missing, please add it here.
Related Topics
This term is also related to the following topic(s):
References
- ^ Loiselle, Mirka. (2017) Multiple Authority Delegation in Art Authentication. Scientonomy 1, 41-53. Retrieved from https://www.scientojournal.com/index.php/scientonomy/article/view/28233.
