Knowledge and the norm of assertion: a simple test

Abstract

An impressive case has been built for the hypothesis that knowledge is the norm of assertion, otherwise known as the knowledge account of assertion. According to the knowledge account, you should assert something only if you know that it's true. A wealth of observational data supports the knowledge account, and some recent empirical results lend further, indirect support. But the knowledge account has not yet been tested directly. This paper fills that gap by reporting the results of such a test. The knowledge account passes with flying colors.

Knowledge Attributions and Behavioral Predictions

“…Repeat participation was prevented (by AMT worker ID). The number of participants per condition (=50) was determined in advance based on previous work on knowledge attributions and behavioral evaluations, which included 25–50 participants per condition (see Turri, ,c).…”

“…Researchers have also found that when someone is judged knowledgeable about an outcome, it increases people's willingness to hold him responsible for negative outcomes (Schroeder & Linder, ; Yuill & Perner, ). Finally, researchers have found that knowledge attributions are a uniquely powerful indicator of when we think other people should make an assertion, which is an indispensable tool for sharing information and coordinating behavior (Turri, ,c, ).…”

Truth‐Sensitivity and Folk Epistemology

“…The evidence for a truth effect on folk epistemological assessment of belief, action, assertion and decision comes from an impressive range of experiments that cannot be responsibly addressed in a single article (Turri , 2015a–c, 2016a, b, 2017a, b; Turri and Buckwalter ). In consequence, I will primarily consider the truth effect on the epistemic assessment of belief (focusing Turri ) and briefly relate the discussion to the findings concerning assertion and action.…”

“…Similar effects have been found for epistemic assessments of assertion in a variety of studies (Turri , . For an overview, see Turri 2017).…”

“…A series of studies have unearthed a robust effect of truth on epistemic evaluation of belief, decision, action and assertion (Turri , 2015a–c, 2016a–b, 2017a–b; Turri and Buckwalter ). But while the studies provide compelling evidence for a truth effect on our folk epistemological assessments, they raise difficult epistemological and methodological questions.…”