episteme

American  

[ep-uh-stee-mee] / ˌɛp əˈsti mi /

noun

1. Philosophy. (in the works of 20th-century philosopher Foucault) the set of ideas and assumptions, often unconscious, that underlie and constrain what is accepted as knowledge in a particular period.

   Technology or social revolution creates a new episteme that then shapes the nature of scientific and social enterprise.

2. any organized or scientific system of knowledge based on a set of explicit principles; paradigm.

   The project explores the formation and operation of the episteme of patent law as currently practiced by lawyers.

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Etymology

Origin of episteme

First recorded in 1840–45; from Greek epistḗmē “knowledge”

Example Sentences

In that closed episteme, dogma is a substitute for truth, evidence, intellectual honesty and rigorous thinking.

From Salon

From the earliest times until Plato, techné is linked with word episteme.

From Forbes