Modification:Sciento-2023-0005

Accept the definition of epistemic action as an action of an epistemic agent that involves an epistemic element.

The modification was suggested to Scientonomy community by Joshua Allen on 31 December 2023.1 The modification is currently being evaluated; a verdict is pending.

Preamble

While it might be tempting to opt for a narrower definition, such as "an action is said to be epistemic if it is taken with the intent to generate/produce or assess/evaluate an epistemic element", a broader definition seems more appropriate at this stage. This is because some epistemically relevant actions, like publishing, do not so easily conform to narrow definitions. The act of publishing a textbook does not seem directly to involve an intent to generate or assess epistemic elements. Similarly, while one would be hard-pressed not to view the spreading of knowledge as epistemically relevant, it could be difficult to confirm that an intent to generate or assess epistemic elements is involved. In both of these cases, it is not obvious how they could qualify as epistemic actions under the narrow definition, as they are not necessarily aiming to generate or assess epistemic elements. Yet, actions of publishing textbooks or spreading knowledge more generally could easily be epistemically relevant without being accompanied by such an intent, by way of their place within a broader tapestry of specific scientific practices. In contrast, the broader definition suggested here allows for the best chance at covering all actions that one would normally consider epistemic. It is agnostic towards the precise characteristics that may accompany an epistemic action, beyond what could reasonably be assumed to be the bare minimum, an epistemic agent taking an action that somehow involves an epistemic element. This definition has the additional benefit of aligning well with other sister categories in the scientonomic ontology. An epistemic stance, for instance, is understood in scientonomy to refer to the attitude of an epistemic agent towards an epistemic element. Having such similarly phrased definitions across basic notions in scientonomy brings a sense of symmetry to the ontology.

Modification

Theories To Accept

• Epistemic Action (Allen-2023): An action of an epistemic agent that involves an epistemic element.

• Epistemic Action Exists: There is such a thing as an epistemic action.

Questions Answered

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

• Epistemic Action: What is epistemic action? How should it be defined?
• Existence of Epistemic Action: Does an epistemic action exist?

Verdict

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

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