Metaepistemology of Scientific Orthodoxy

A branch of metaepistemology that examines the epistemological frameworks we use to evaluate scientific orthodoxy—asking second-order questions about how we know what we know about orthodoxy. The metaepistemology of scientific orthodoxy investigates the standards, criteria, and assumptions we bring to judging when orthodoxy is trustworthy and when it's suspect. It asks: What counts as good evidence for the reliability of orthodoxy? How do we evaluate competing epistemological frameworks for assessing consensus? What are the meta-criteria for choosing between different accounts of when to trust science? It also examines the historical and cultural contingency of our epistemological frameworks—how different eras and different cultures have different standards for evaluating orthodoxy, and how our own standards might be limited by our context. The metaepistemology of scientific orthodoxy is epistemology about epistemology about orthodoxy—the highest-level reflection on how we know what we know about what scientists know collectively.

Example: "Her metaepistemology of scientific orthodoxy work asked: How do we know that our criteria for trusting scientific consensus are the right criteria? It's epistemology all the way down—and realizing that doesn't paralyze us, but it does make us humble about our certainties."

Metaepistemology of Scientific Orthodoxy by Abzugal March 16, 2026