Social Epistemology and Epistemic Agency Decentralizing Epistemic Agency [Hardcover]

What we can say about the Reider volume is that it has taken the brave and humanistic approach to the dialectic in both its structure and in its overall cast; the editor asked for foundational articles from the flag-bearers of what we might call the analytic and the critical approaches to social epistemology, and then solicited thought-provoking responses to them.Social epistemologists have challenged the assumption that an individual epistemic agent is at the center of the analysis of knowing. They have investigated the question of which social processes are effective in bringing about true beliefs and when a person is justified in relying on another persons testimony. Some social epistemologists have explored the question of whether knowledge or justified belief can be attributed to collective epistemic agents or distributed cognitive systems that may include non-human entities such as artificial intelligence. In light of these developments, Social epistemology and epistemic agency, edited by Patrick Reider, is a timely volume of articles.This volume is an important contribution to both social epistemology and the theory of epistemic agency, and it can be read with profit not only by professional philosophers but by everyone who is interested in how we can improve knowledge in our communities.This intriguing volume brings together philosophers and sociologists with very different conceptions of what social epistemology is, or should be, and what it might contribute to our understanding of social agency. It will be essential reading for graduate students and scholars in epistemology, philosophy of science, and sociology.This book offers a comprehensive overview of the arguments relating to the extent and manner to which social influences enable epistemic agents.The field of epistemology is undergoing significant changes. Primary among these changes is an ever growing appreciation for the role social influences play on ones ability to acquire and assess knowledge lc­