 Surprisingly, social epistemology does not have a very long, or rich, history. With perhaps a few exceptions, it has not been explored by philosophy with much systematicity until recent times. The case of modern science, by contrast, was rather different. The Royal Society of London was created in 1660, intended to highlight the importance of multiple observers in establishing recognized facts. (And, as we will see throughout the entry, there are important connections between philosophy of science and social epistemology.) But the leading figures of philosophy commonly tended to present themselves as solitary investigators. To be sure, they did not refrain from debating with one another. But insofar as the topic was “epistemology” (as it came to be called), it centered on the challenges and practices of individual agents.