Normative Naturalism

Larry Lauden's normative naturalism is a meta-epistemological synthesis concerning the place of epistemology and is directed to justify it. This meta-epistemology is, on the one hand, naturalistic, for like all naturalist epistemologies, it accepts naturalist and empiric methodology and deems it as the only methodology which is suitable for evaluation and justification of epistemic claims (whether scientific, or philosophical, or conventional). Thus, it is descriptive and non-prescriptive. Lauedn's metaepistemology is, on the other hand, a normative and prescriptive synthesis; for, it considers description of epistemological rules and norms, "ought"'s and "ought not"s to acquire and evaluate our beliefs concerning the world as "the traditional and old role of the theory of knowledge. Thus, it is prescriptive and non-descriptive. Lauden thought that both descriptive and prescriptive properties of epistemology are necessary and irremovable. And taking into account, descriptive and empiric character of the naturalistic methodology of science as well as normative character of the traditional epistemology, he tries to reduce one to the other and shows that epistemology is able to play its traditional role and accept empirical evidence, and be evaluated in the same way that other scientific and claims are, at the same time. The present essay aims to study and examine such an attempt.