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|Academic Events=Scientonomy Seminar 2016,
|Prehistory=For most of the history of western science and philosophy, human individuals were treated as the primary epistemic agents. Exceptions include discussions of when one should accept the testimony of others in the works of [[David Hume]] and [[Thomas Reid]]. [[CiteRef::Goldman (2015)]]
In the nineteenth century, [[John S. Mill|John Stuart Mill]], in a political essay called ''On Liberty'' argued that, because individual human knowers are fallible, the critical discussion of ideas is necessary to help individuals avoid the falsity or partiality of beliefs framed in the context of only one point of view. The achievement of knowledge is thus a social rather than an individual matter. [[CiteRef:: Mill (1859)]][[CiteRef::Longino (2016)]] Charles Sanders Peirce formulated a consensual theory of truth, in which the acceptance of the truth of a proposition depends on the agreement of a community of inquirers. Peirce emphasized the instigation of doubt and critical interaction as means to knowledge. For Peirce then, communities are epistemic agents. [[CiteRef::Peirce (1878)]][[CiteRef::Longino (2016)]]
|Related Topics=Scientific Community, Applicability of the Laws of Scientific Change, Scientific Mosaic, Epistemic Stances Towards Theories,
|Page Status=Needs Editing
