Work

Making Sense of Epistemic Authority

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This paper explores the debate surrounding epistemic authority, questioning whether experts’ opinions bind us and if there is a duty to believe based on their testimony. Zagzebski’s classical theory, inspired by Joseph Raz’s Pre-emption Thesis, suggests replacing existing evidence with an authority’s testimony, a position that has faced criticism. The aim of the paper is to bring order to the ongoing debate surrounding the normative force of epistemic authority and assess the implications of rejecting the Pre-emption Thesis. In particular, it questions how to think about possible positive epistemic duties towards epistemically superior agents, without breaking standard evidential norms and in view of practical risks of abusive authority.

Source: Social Epistemology

DOI: 10.1080/02691728.2025.2566132

Author: Dominik Jarczewski

Institution: Jagiellonian University

Language: English

Topic: Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics

Subfield: Philosophy

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: Narodowe Centrum Nauki

Award: G3863732439