epistemic risk

Epistemic risk, within the field of epistemology, refers to the potential for error or doubt in our claims to knowledge. Philosophers explore this by examining skepticism, which questions whether humans can truly acquire knowledge.123

Skepticism arises from the observation that for every argument, a counterargument often exists. This challenges the certainty of knowledge, as it's not enough for a claim to be true; it must also be logically impossible for the claimant to be mistaken. For instance, the idea that one might be a brain in a vat illustrates how even sensory experiences don't guarantee knowledge of an external world, as a mistake is logically possible.3