Overview

Naturalized epistemology is a collection of views that argue epistemology should be closely connected to, or even replaced by, natural science (especially psychology and cognitive science). It was famously proposed by W.V.O. Quine.

Core Idea

The core idea is that instead of trying to justify knowledge from a “first philosophy” armchair perspective (which Quine argued had failed), we should study how human beings actually acquire beliefs and knowledge using scientific methods.

Formal Definition

Naturalized epistemology is the view that the study of knowledge should be treated as a chapter of psychology or natural science. It rejects the idea of epistemology as a purely normative discipline distinct from science.

Intuition

Imagine trying to understand how a camera works. You wouldn’t just meditate on the “concept of an image”; you would study the optics and mechanics of the camera. Quine argued we should study the human mind (the instrument of knowledge) in the same scientific way.

Examples

  • Studying Perception: Instead of debating whether senses can be trusted, study the neurobiology of vision to see how they work and where they fail.
  • Cognitive Biases: Using psychology to identify systematic errors in human reasoning (like confirmation bias) is a naturalized approach to understanding our epistemic limits.

Common Misconceptions

  • Misconception: It eliminates the “ought” (normativity) of epistemology.
    • Correction: This is the main criticism. Quine seemed to suggest replacing “how we ought to think” with “how we do think.” Later naturalists argue science can still tell us how to reach our goals (instrumental normativity).
  • Misconception: It is just “scientism.”
    • Correction: It is a philosophical stance that science is our best tool for understanding the world, including ourselves.
  • Psychologism: The view (often criticized) that logic and epistemology are just descriptions of psychological processes.
  • Quine’s Holism: The idea that scientific theories face the tribunal of experience as a whole.
  • Evolutionary Epistemology: Explaining knowledge faculties as products of natural selection.

Applications

  • Cognitive Science: The bridge between philosophy of mind and empirical research.
  • AI Research: Modeling knowledge acquisition based on human learning processes.

Criticism and Limitations

  • The Normativity Problem: If we only describe how people do think, how can we say they should think differently (e.g., to avoid fallacies)?
  • Circularity: Using science to justify the scientific method seems circular. (Naturalists often accept this circularity as virtuous, not vicious).

Further Reading

  • Epistemology Naturalized by W.V.O. Quine
  • Naturalizing Epistemology by Hilary Kornblith
  • Reliabilism (a form of naturalized epistemology)