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Accept that the relationship of tool reliance can obtain between epistemic agents and epistemic tools. Also accept the definition of tool reliance, which states that an epistemic agent is said to rely on an epistemic tool when there is a procedure through which the tool can provide an acceptable source of knowledge for answering some question under the employed method of that agent.

The modification was suggested to Scientonomy community by Paul Patton on 26 December 2019.1 The modification is currently being evaluated; a verdict is pending.

Preamble

The role of tools and instruments in scientific change is clearly important, but has not been defined within scientonomy. The question of whether epistemic tools can be subjects of authority delegation has been raised. This is not possible. The scientific data produced by some epistemic tools are a kind of theory. Theories must be assessed, in accordance with an 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.1 Given the current state of artificial intelligence, epistemic tools lack the needed cognitive abilities to possess this understanding.1 Therefore a new role for epistemic tools and their relationship to 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.

Modification

Accept that the relationship of tool reliance can obtain between epistemic agents and epistemic tools.

Also accept that the following symbol is to be used in scientonomic diagrams to depict the relation of tool reliance:

Theories To Accept

  • Tool Reliance (Patton-2019): An epistemic agent is said to rely on an epistemic tool iff there is a procedure through which the tool can provide an acceptable source of knowledge for answering some question under the employed method of that agent.

Questions Answered

This modification attempts to answer the following question(s):

Verdict

The modification is currently being evaluated; a verdict is pending.

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References

  1. a b c  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.