What is the epistemic crisis?

Question

• What is the epistemic crisis?
• What is the cause of the epistemic crisis?

Sources

• https://arnoldkling.substack.com/p/an-epistemic-crisis
• https://www.conspicuouscognition.com/p/americas-epistemological-crisis
• https://www.conspicuouscognition.com/p/elite-failures-and-populist-backlash
• https://www.natesilver.net/p/the-expert-class-is-failing-and-so
• https://samkahn.substack.com/p/its-the-epistemology-stupid
• https://samharris.substack.com/p/the-reckoning

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Answer from Wikle

The epistemic crisis refers to a state of societal upheaval or conflict resulting from a widespread distrust or skepticism about the sources, validity, and reliability of knowledge. It's a crisis of knowing, a breakdown in the way society agrees on what is true and what is not.

The causes of the epistemic crisis are numerous and complex, and the authors of these sources offer different perspectives:

1. Arnold Kling argues that the crisis is rooted in a collapse of institutional trust and that this collapse is connected to the fact that institutions have become politicized. Institutions have become opaque, less accountable, and have failed to adapt to the internet age, leading to a breakdown in trust.

2. Sam Kahn points to the rise of social media and the internet as a significant contributor to the crisis. He argues that the internet has democratized access to information, which has led to a flood of misinformation and disinformation. This abundance of information makes it difficult to discern what is true and what is not.

3. Nate Silver cites a failure of the expert class as a significant cause. Overconfidence, lack of humility, and a tendency to overlook non-expert perspectives have led to a series of high-profile failures that have undermined trust in expertise.

4. The authors at Conspicuous Cognition argue that the crisis is rooted in a broad societal shift towards postmodernism and relativism, which has led to a rejection of objective truth and a focus on individual perspectives and experiences.

5. Sam Harris suggests that the crisis is rooted in a deeper philosophical problem: a failure to recognize that beliefs should be based on evidence and reason, not identity or ideology. This has led to a polarization of society where different groups have different sets of facts.

In sum, the epistemic crisis is caused by a complex interplay of factors including the politicization of institutions, the rise of social media and the internet, failures of the expert class, societal shifts towards postmodernism and relativism, and a failure to base beliefs on evidence and reason.