Epistemic Agent

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What is epistemic agent? How should it be defined?

The notion of epistemic agent plays a central role in scientonomy. Since the term stands in an important relationship with the notions of epistemic element and epistemic stance, it is important to provide the term with a proper scientonomic definition.

In the scientonomic context, this term was first used by Hakob Barseghyan in 2018. The term is currently accepted by Scientonomy community.

In Scientonomy, the accepted definition of the term is:

  • An agent capable of taking epistemic stances towards epistemic elements.

Scientonomic History

In the scientonomic context the term was first used in Barseghyan's Redrafting the Ontology of Scientific Change where the term was not defined.1 The first scientonomic definition of the term was provided by Paul Patton in Epistemic Tools and Epistemic Agents in Scientonomy.2

Acceptance Record

Here is the complete acceptance record of this term (it includes all the instances when the term was accepted as a part of a community's taxonomy):
CommunityAccepted FromAcceptance IndicatorsStill AcceptedAccepted UntilRejection Indicators
Scientonomy8 October 2018The publication of Barseghyan (2018) is an indication of the acceptance of the term.Yes

All Theories

The following definitions of the term have been suggested:
TheoryFormulationFormulated In
Epistemic Agent (Patton-2019)An agent capable of taking epistemic stances towards epistemic elements.2019
If a definition of this term is missing, please click here to add it.

Accepted Theories

The following definitions of the term have been accepted:
CommunityTheoryAccepted FromAccepted Until
ScientonomyEpistemic Agent (Patton-2019)11 October 2020

Suggested Modifications

Here is a list of modifications concerning this term:
Modification Community Date Suggested Summary Verdict Verdict Rationale Date Assessed
Sciento-2019-0014 Scientonomy 26 December 2019 Accept the new definition of epistemic agent as an agent capable of taking epistemic stances towards epistemic elements. Accepted The modification was characterized as "a very welcome addition to the scientonomic ontology" for despite all the talks of epistemic agents "the very notion of epistemic agency has remained unclear" for years,c1 for its "strict explication has been lacking".c2 It was agreed that the definition is an important starting point for our discussions concerning individual and communal agents.c3 c4 It was also noted that the definition is important for addressing the "the question of agency of epistemic tools"c5 and the question of "the applicability of scientonomic laws to individual agents".c6 11 October 2020

Current Definition

In Scientonomy, the accepted definition of the term is Epistemic Agent (Patton-2019).

Epistemic Agent (Patton-2019) states: "An agent capable of taking epistemic stances towards epistemic elements."

Epistemic Agent (Patton-2019).png

An epistemic agent acts in relation to epistemic elements such as theories, questions, and methods. The actions of an epistemic agent amount to taking epistemic stances towards these elements, such as accepting or pursuing a theory, accepting a question, or employing a method. The stances of an epistemic agent must be intentional. To be so, they must satisfy the following conditions:

  1. the agent must have a semantic understanding of the propositions that constitute the epistemic element in question and of its available alternatives; and
  2. the agent must be able to choose from among the available alternatives with reason, and for the purpose of acquiring knowledge.2

Ontology

Existence

In Scientonomy, it is currently accepted that "There is such a thing as an epistemic agent."

Disjointness

In Scientonomy, no classes are currently accepted as disjoint with Epistemic Agent.

Subtypes

In Scientonomy, the accepted subtypes of Epistemic Agent are:

Supertypes

In Scientonomy, there are currently no accepted supertypes of Epistemic Agent.

Associations

In Scientonomy, there are currently no accepted associations of Epistemic Agent.


If a question concerning the ontology of an epistemic agent is missing, please add it here.

Dynamics

If a question concerning the dynamics of an epistemic agent is missing, please add it here.

References

  1. ^  Barseghyan, Hakob. (2018) Redrafting the Ontology of Scientific Change. Scientonomy 2, 13-38. Retrieved from https://scientojournal.com/index.php/scientonomy/article/view/31032.
  2. a b  Patton, Paul. (2019) Epistemic Tools and Epistemic Agents in Scientonomy. Scientonomy 3, 63-89. Retrieved from https://scientojournal.com/index.php/scientonomy/article/view/33621.