Insider-Outsider Members of Scientific Communities and Their Epistemic Advantages in Critical Reflection

Abstract This article focuses on how to answer the question: How can we better characterize the more significant epistemic advantages in knowledge-how of the members of oppressed social groups who are participating within scientific communities? My approach diverges from previous ways of answering this question by focusing on the epistemic advantages that are associated with the processes of critical reflection through which agents develop their conceptual frameworks. In particular, I argue that developing multiple, conflicting conceptual frameworks gives agents epistemic advantages in their abilities to both identify potentially problematic assumptions of these frameworks and to improve upon those assumptions that are judged to be problematic. That is to say, this paper aims to show both that there is a scientifically relevant knowledge-how of critically reflecting on the under-examined assumptions within one’s conceptual frameworks and that insider-outsider members of scientific communities will have certain epistemic advantages when it comes to developing this knowledge-how.