Changes

|Preamble=The role of tools and instruments in [[Scientific Change|scientific change]] is clearly important, but has not been defined within scientonomy. The question of whether epistemic tools can be subjects of [[Authority Delegation|authority delegation]] has been raised. This is not possible. The scientific data produced by some epistemic tools are a kind of [[Theory|theory]]. Theories must be [[The Second Law|assessed]], in accordance with an [[Method|employed method]]. This assessment requires semantic understanding of the data, and of the theories specifying the conditions under which the epistemic tool can be deemed a reliable source of knowledge. [[CiteRef::Patton (2019)]] Given the current state of artificial intelligence, epistemic tools lack the needed cognitive abilities to possess this understanding. [[CiteRef::Patton (2019)]] Therefore a new role for epistemic tools and their relationship to [[Epistemic Agent|epistemic agents]] must be specified. The role proposed here, that of tool reliance, plausibly locates its basis in the concrete requirements of the employed method of some epistemic agent.