Epistemic Authority

Abstract

Abstract Epistemic authority is authority we ascribe to people in virtue of their favorable relation to epistemic goods such as true belief, rational credence, knowledge, or understanding. Exactly how should we react when learning the views of an epistemic authority? This question has provoked much controversy in recent years. The chapter gives an overview of the debate, develops taxonomies for structuring it, and engages in opiniated discussions of the most influential positions that have been argued for. The core questions to be pursued are (1) the explication question: What constitutes epistemic authority? (2) the identification question: In what ways can relative non-authorities identify (individual or collective) epistemic authorities? (3) the deference question: Exactly what does it involve rationally to assign special epistemic weight to the views of an epistemic authority? (4) the transmission question: Which epistemic goods can agents obtain from epistemic authorities, and what are the mechanisms of, and success conditions for, the transmission of these goods?

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