Naturalized Epistemology and Dilemmas of Planning Practice

Abstract

This article proposes that a feminist interpretation of naturalized epistemology provides a sound basis for a deliberative planning approach. It preserves the grounds for making reasoned choices between competing validity claims while promoting a view of planning as a diverse and deliberative enterprise attentive to various ways of knowing and modes of expression. The solution is based on a revised notion of objectivity that emphasizes the important function of biases—values, experiences, and contextual commitments—in “truth tracking.”