Berghofer, Philipp (2025) On the Relationship between Epistemology and Science: Synergies between Experience-First Epistemologies and Agent-Centered Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics. Synthese. ISSN 1573-0964

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Abstract

Although contemporary analytic epistemology continues to be dominated by externalist accounts, an alternative internalist approach has recently emerged that emphasizes the epistemic role of consciousness, in particular of conscious experience. According to the phenomenological experience-first epistemology (PEFE) discussed in this paper, certain experiences constitute a source of immediate justification as well as our ultimate evidence. One reason why internalist approaches are less popular in current debates is the common assumption that externalism fits better with scientific practice. In this picture, the natural sciences are typically understood as adopting a third-person perspective that successfully abstracts away from the subject and her personal experiences. Here, I discuss an alternative view of science, namely science as understood within the framework of agent-centered approaches to quantum mechanics. More specifically, my focus will be on QBism, a highly controversial but increasingly popular interpretation of quantum mechanics, whose defining feature is the interpretation of quantum probabilities as subjective Bayesian probabilities. The objective of this paper is to clarify the relationship between epistemology and science under the assumption that both PEFE and QBism are correct.

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Item Type:	Published Article or Volume
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Berghofer, Philipp philipp.berghofer@uni-graz.at 0000-0002-9044-0637
Keywords:	epistemology; experience-first epistemology; quantum mechanics; QBism
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Mathematics > Epistemology Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics
Depositing User:	Dr. Philipp Berghofer
Date Deposited:	08 Mar 2026 01:26
Last Modified:	08 Mar 2026 01:26
Item ID:	28470
Journal or Publication Title:	Synthese
Publisher:	Springer (Springer Science+Business Media B.V.)
DOI or Unique Handle:	10.1007/s11229-024-04875-7
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Mathematics > Epistemology Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics
Date:	2025
ISSN:	1573-0964
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/28470

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