Center 03
Center for Epistemology
Evidence, criticism, and the limits of certainty. Building the intellectual habits that make serious inquiry possible.
How do we know when our explanations are wrong?
Every political argument rests on assumptions about what can be known and how knowledge should be tested. This center studies the foundations of explanation, evidence, and criticism, with particular attention to the social sciences and the conditions of an open intellectual life.
Questions guiding our work
- What distinguishes a useful explanation from an accommodating story?
- How should rival interpretations be compared?
- What institutions make criticism productive rather than merely performative?
First project
Epistemology for the social sciences
A developing educational strand connects the evaluation of theories with the reading of history, political thought, and empirical research.
Explore the project