Epistemic leakage is a term coined by Bonnitta Roy to describe the way a theoretical model or framework unintentionally "leaks" its underlying worldview and assumptions, regardless of how much the creator tries to nuance or "hedge" the presentation,. Even if two models look at the same data and can be translated into one another, they may still differ in the specific worldview they project.

Key aspects of epistemic leakage include:

• Inherent Worldview: A model will inevitably communicate a specific perspective on reality that is baked into its structure. For example, Roy points to Spiral Dynamics, noting that even when its proponents argue that the "health of the spiral" is the priority, the model still leaks a worldview that organizes human development into levels where past cultures are viewed as "primitive".
• Consistency of Message: Roy developed her own model with the specific goal of making it consistent with her intended message, ensuring that what "leaks out" is exactly what she is trying to say.
• Rejection of "Emergence": One of the primary things Roy's model is designed to leak is the premise that the body is antecedent to the mind and nature is antecedent to the body. She rejects the concept of "emergence"—which she likens to a scientist saying "and then a miracle happens"—positing instead that there is no gap between different layers of existence,.
• The "Under the Hood" Operating System: Roy contrasts models that require "cognitive heavy lifting" to filter the world with her approach, which seeks to understand the "systems thinking" and "operating system" under the hood of the self,. Her goal is to provide a map that allows individuals to understand how the self-structure is assembled in every moment from matter, energy, and our animal nature, rather than viewing these as separate stages that are "done and over with",.

In summary, epistemic leakage suggests that you cannot hide the foundational assumptions of a model; the core logic will always reveal itself in the way the model characterizes the world.

References

• bonnitta-roy explains epistemic leakage