The theory that knowledge requires not just a knower but a receptive community—that claims become knowledge only when they are heard, understood, and accepted by others. A solitary insight, no matter how brilliant, isn't knowledge until it enters the intersubjective space where it can be received. Receptionalism studies the conditions of reception: what makes a community able to hear certain claims? What blocks reception? How do power, prejudice, and paradigm shape what can be known collectively?
"You've been saying this for years and no one listens. Epistemological Receptionalism asks: what would make them able to hear you? It's not about being right—it's about creating the conditions for reception. Knowledge isn't broadcast; it's received. Work on the reception, not just the signal."
by Abzugal February 23, 2026
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