‘In the end, we have the Gatling gun, and they have not’: Future prospects of indigenous knowledges

Charles Taylor argues the superiority of Western technology demonstrates the epistemological superiority of Western science over indigenous knowledges. I argue Taylor's “might makes right” argument lacks deductive and inductive cogency, begs significant questions against indigenous knowledges, and confounds military subjugation with philosophical refutation. Polycentric global epistemology represents one possible future of indigenous knowledges. It consists of a variety of dialogues between mutual epistemological “others”. Participants ask, “how may this or that knowledge practice be brought into the service of human well-being?” It admits all varieties of knowledge practices ranging from rational argument and experimentation to dance, song, and ritual performance. It establishes a trading zone for mutual sharing, borrowing, and learning as well as collaborative projects.