Stepping Forwards by Looking Back: Underdetermination, Epistemic Scarcity and Legacy Data

Debate about the epistemic prowess of historical science has focused on local underdetermination problems generated by a lack data; prevalence information loss over geological time, and capacities scientists to mitigate it. Drawing Leonelli’s recent distinction between ‘phenomena-time’ ‘data-time’ I argue that factors like data generation, curation management significantly complexifies undermines this: is bad way framing challenges face. In doing so, identify circumstances scarcity where are particularly salient, discuss cases legacy data—data using differing technologies systems practice—are drawn upon overcome underdetermination. This suggests one source overcoming our knowledge science’s past. Further, data-time makes agnostic positions fortunes working under more plausible. But agnosticism seems leave philosophers without much normative grip. So, sketch an alternative approach: focusing strategies adopt maximize their power in light resources available them.