Epistemic Humility and the Architecture of Encounter

Philosophics — Philosophical and Political Ramblings · Aug 3, 2026 · 20m

In this essay, language philosopher Bry Willis examines the nature of epistemic humility and the limitations of human certainty. He challenges the traditional substance ontology, arguing that what we perceive as solid objects are actually mediated stabilisations that depend on the scale and mode of our encounter. By introducing his Mediated Encounter Ontology (MEOW), Willis suggests that reality is defined more by relational patterns than by intrinsic, self-contained entities. He acknowledges that his perspective is inherently positional, yet he maintains that observations can still be tested…