ABSTRACT
Trust in the knowledge of others is a foundation for all knowledge (Hardwig 1991, Scheman 2001). Our knowledge-whether of auto mechanics, culinary techniques, legal processes, or medical practice-rests on trust in the work of epistemic peers and epistemic experts in various domains. Solipsism (reliance only on one’s own mind) is a route to ignorance, especially in scientific and technical fields where individuals are dependent on their education by teachers and mentors, on prior research, and on their collaborators and critics. In medicine specifically, the often-cited reliance “on the literature” is reliance (of researchers and clinicians) on the work of other researchers, and reliance “on medical advice” is reliance (of patients) on the knowledge of medical experts. Expert consensus produces the most trust, since it combines both the epistemic advantages of expertise and the reassurance that several apparently independent individuals have come to the same conclusion. When the experts agree, it is typically thought, claims to knowledge have the most chance of being true, or at least true enough to be useful. Trusting expert consensus seems like a reasonable-although not infallible-strategy.
