The Epistemic Privilege of Measurement: Motivating a Functionalist Account

Philosophers and metrologists have refuted the view that measurement’s epistemic privilege in scientific practice is explained by its theory neutrality. Rather, they now explicitly appeal to role theories play measurement. I formulate a challenge for this view: scientists sometimes ascribe measurements even if lack shared about their target quantity, which illustrate through case study from early geodesy. Drawing on case, argue of measurement can precede background better pre-theoretic function enabling distinctive kind inquiry.