COMMUNITY (Epistemic)
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 522 ▶ |
| Object type | Human sciences, Epistemology, ontology or semantics |
A human communication system which is extended in space and time.
This concept, proposed by B. HOLZNER (1968) and here adapted from L. THAYER (1972, p.112), is thus explained by this last author: “Those who have been similarly in-formed, who have similar frames of references, similar epistemologies, similar ”reality-testing“ procedures, and who thus mutually validate each other's ways of knowing, can be said to be members of the same epistemic community” (Ibid).
Validation is always referred to a prior system of values, concepts and behaviors accorded within the community through an explicit or implicit process of consensus, possibly shifting as time goes on.
The crossing by individuals or groups of the boundaries of an epistemic community and their intrusion in another one, is generally known as “transculturation” and generates in many cases very serious problems of poor communication and intolerance, which may produce violent conflicts.