Trust, authority and epistemic responsibility

ABSTRACT: In this paper I argue that the epistemology of trust and testimony should take into account the pragmat-ics of communication in order to gain insight about the responsibilities speakers and hearers share in the epistemic access they gain through communication. Communication is a rich process of information ex-change in which epistemic standards are negotiated by interlocutors. I discuss examples which show the contextual adjustment of these standards as the conversation goes on. Our sensitivity to the contextual di-mension of epistemic standards make us more responsible communicators