Society of Epistenauts / EPISTENAUT

Origin

Our organization was founded in 2784 a by a small group of students and junior academics from a variety of institutions in and around the Terra system. Originally called the New Conflicting Epistemology Reading Group, its members considered it the spiritual successor of another academic group that had existed on Earth around the time of the second Tavarin War. Inspired by the older group, the 2784 group’s purpose was to challenge and deconstruct government and mass-media propaganda by assembling “subaltern ethnographies” at the empire’s social fringes during the waning years of the Messer regime.

Evolution

After the fall of the Messers, the group broadened its scope and re-branded as the Institute for Applied Stellar Epistemology. Marketing itself as a think tank, research group, and consultancy for governments and corporations looking to right the wrongs of the past, the IASE saw limited success in its new direction.

However, due to its history of study and advocacy on behalf of people on the fringe of the empire, the IASE’s found success offering its services to fledgling settlements and small organizations operating at the edge of UEE influence. The Institute’s activities expanded over time to include material support, enhanced data-collection and exploration services, and mediation for these groups.

Though the group continued to be largely academic in nature, and marketed itself to governments and corporations wishing to be socially aware, the practical work of the institute resonated with the majority of its membership. Over time the culture of the institute evolved to favor a philosophy of “Embedded Social Science,” wherein small groups of members aligned themselves closely with settlements and organizations, while remaining connected to the institute where they could pool information and resources.

Today

To reflect this evolution, in 2939 the organization voted to re-brand as the Society of Epistenauts, and re-organized to give its members greater freedom to operate in service of the Society’s values. Today membership is organized into an inner ‘core’ and an outer circle:

The inner circle is made up of full-time members responsible for the official work of the Society. These members are engaged in fulfilling the Society’s obligations to its full-time clients. This chiefly involves research, intelligence work and data-running, but also includes practical support such as shipping, resource development and (in very rare circumstances) security.

The outer circle is made up of members who spend the majority of their time freelancing, or employed by governments and other organizations full-time. For these members the Society forms a professional network of like-minded individuals, each dedicated to upholding the Society’s values, and who can be called upon for assistance and resources in times of need.