Shared reality as collective closure

Abstract

We draw on the theory of lay epistemics to understand how universal processes of knowledge formation drive the emergence, and determine the consequences of shared reality in groups. In particular, we highlight the role in these processes of the need for cognitive closure and credible epistemic authorities. Whereas the former construct explains why people seek a shared reality, the latter clarifies who the reality is shared with. In this connection, we review relevant bodies of empirical evidence that bear on the epistemic underpinnings of shared reality phenomena.