Epistemology of Wikipedia
Epistemology is a major branch of philosophy and is concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge. The epistemology of Wikipedia has been a subject of interest from the earliest days of its existence.[citation needed]
Early analysis related the epistemology of Wikipedia to social epistemology. Other realms of epistemological research; epistemology of testimony, and epistemic value theory have been addressed with reference to Wikipedia.[1]: 6
More recent analysis suggests that the epistemology of Wikipedia derives from the combined epistemic values of wikis and of encyclopedias. Jankowski[2] cites Ruth and Houghton[3] who define the epistemic values of wikis as:
- self-identification
- collaboration
- co-construction
- cooperation
- trust in the community
- constructionism
Jankowski suggests that determination of the epistemic values of encyclopedias is more problematic requiring genre analysis.[2] This analysis revealed that encyclopedias value:
- utility
- systematic organization
- authority
- trust in experts
- consistency
Fallis[1] previously identified the specific epistemic virtues of Wikipedia as
- power
- speed
- fecundity
References
- ^ a b Fallis, Don (2008). "Toward an Epistemology of Wikipedia". Social Science Research Network. SSRN 1263781.
- ^ a b Jankowski, Steve (2013). Wikipedia and encylopaedism: A genre analysis of epistemological values (PDF) (M.A.). See also blog post and comments, 27 May 2013.
- ^ Ruth, Alison L.; Houghton, Luke (2009). "The wiki way of learning". Australasian Journal of Educational Technology. 25 (2): 135–152. Archived from the original on 2013-06-22.