How We Govern Our Minds Through Others Paperback by J. Adam Carter and Neil Levy

Product Details

• Publisher: The MIT Press (2026-10-13)
• Language: English
• Paperback: 202 pages
• ISBN-13: 9780262056458
• Item Weight: 283.5 grams
• Dimensions: 22.86 x 15.24 x 1.19 cm

Epistemic autonomy worth valuing requires epistemic dependence on others, as well as on tools and technology.

In How We Govern Our Minds Through Others, J. Adam Carter and Neil Levy argue that epistemic autonomy worth valuing requires various kinds of epistemic dependence on others, as well as on tools and technology. Challenging the Cartesian ideal of self-sufficient knowledge acquisition, they show that epistemic dependence is both inevitable and beneficial. Self‑governance is mediated by social relationships and institutions; we manage our beliefs and attention through collaborations, trust, and the influence of others. What emerges is a reconceptualization of epistemic autonomy as deeply social and deeply scaffolded.

Integrating insights from philosophy, cognitive science, AI ethics, and media studies, the authors offer a positive, socially scaffolded conception of epistemic self‑governance. The topics they explore include epistemic autonomy in connection with hijacked attention, intellectual collaboration with others in group settings, artificial intelligence, first-hand insight, nudging and questioning, epistemic feedback loops, and adaptive control. Their arguments have ramifications for educators and designers of digital platforms, as well as those working in the emerging landscape of AI law, digital rights, and mental privacy.

About the Author

J. Adam Carter is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Glasgow and Co-Director of the COGITO Epistemology Research Centre. He is the author of A Telic Theory of Trust, Stratified Virtue Epistemology, and Autonomous Knowledge.

Neil Levy is Professor of Philosophy at Macquarie University and Senior Research Fellow at the Uehiro Oxford Institute, University of Oxford. His books include Bad Beliefs, Consciousness and Moral Responsibility, and Hard Luck.