Versions of naturalized epistemology that overlook or reject apriority ignore innate belief-forming processes that provide much of the grounding for epistemic warrant. A rigorous analysis reveals that non-experiential ways of viewing apriority, such as innateness, establish the domain for a plausible naturalistic theory of a priori warrant. A moderate version of naturalistic epistemology that embraces the non-experiential feature of apriority and motivates future cognitive scientific research is the preferred account.

The purpose of this thesis is to critically examine how W.V. Quine, Michael A. Bishop and J.D. Trout confront the normativity objection against naturalized epistemology. In Chapter One, normativity in epistemology is introduced, followed by a brief look over Quine’s grievances against the traditional approach to epistemology. Quine rejects traditional epistemology and assimilates epistemology with science. The second chapter assesses how Quine naturalizes epistemology, and the third chapter evaluates his engineering response against the normativity objection. Bishop and Trout’s theory, founded upon the Aristotelian Principle, concentrates on reasoning and epistemic excellence instead of belief justification. Strategic Reliabilism’s attempt to dissolve the naturalistic challenge and resolve the normativity objection is inspected in Chapter Four. The final chapter, succinctly, summarizes its preceding chapters and ends by suggesting a closer exploration of the link between epistemology and cognitive sciences, to better understand the underlying mechanics of the objections that face naturalized epistemology. / Graduate / 0422 / 0621 / soushi@gmail.com

[pt] Esta dissertação busca analisar a proposta filosófica de Larry Laudan para a superação dos impasses epistemológicos gerados no debate entre a concepção fundacionista de ciência dos positivistas lógicos e a crítica relativista que foi promovida pelos epistemólogos da virada histórica. Aqui serão discutidas as principais questões levantadas neste confronto no tocante à metodologia da ciência. Para tal, nos deteremos sobre a gênese e sobre colapso do naturalismo lingüístico-descritivo do Círculo de Viena, mostrando o enfraquecimento de suas teses centrais ora pela análise de suas contradições internas, ora pela abordagem das críticas que lhe foram dirigidas por outras escolas de pensamento, em especial, a crítica histórica. Por fim, nos deteremos sobre o modelo metametodológico de Laudan e sua perspectiva naturalista de metodologia científica baseada em regras normativas. / [en] This essay seeks to analyze Larry Laudan`s philosophical proposal to overcome the epistemological predicaments raised in the discussion between positivists and historical turn`s relativists. Here, we will discuss the main questions raised in this confrontation about the scientific methodology. In such case, we will detain over the origin and breakdown of the linguistic-descriptive naturalism created by logical positivism. We will present the feebleness of the positivist`s central thesis, unveiling the internal contradictions of the proposal and the critiques from others schools of thought, in special, the criticism from historical turn`s point of view. At last, we will focus Laudan`s metamethodological model of science`s philosophy and its naturalist perspective based in normative rules.