Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T10:19:28.436Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

2 - Is there reason to be theoretically rational?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2011

Andrew Reisner
Affiliation:
McGill University
Andrew Reisner
Affiliation:
McGill University, Montréal
Asbjørn Steglich-Petersen
Affiliation:
Aarhus Universitet, Denmark
Get access

Summary

INTRODUCTION

An important advance in normativity research over the last decade is an increased understanding of the distinction, and difference, between normativity and rationality. Normativity concerns or picks out a broad set of concepts that have in common that they are, put loosely, guiding. For example, consider two commonly used normative concepts: that of a normative reason and that of an ought. To have a normative reason to perform some action is for there to be something that counts in favor of performing that action, perhaps that doing so will result in a good outcome. Likewise with ought, when there is sufficient evidence for something, one ought to believe it (at least under normal circumstances). Not all guidance need be directed toward a specific mental state or a specific action. Subject to the requirements of normativity, too, are relations. It is commonly believed, for example, that we ought not to hold contradictory beliefs.

At least some of the requirements that concern relations amongst an agent's mental states are, or seem, distinctive. Agents who fail to satisfy these requirements are considered irrational to some degree. On many current views, being irrational is distinct in some way from not being how one ought to be; rationality is a concept commonly thought distinct from normativity by philosophers working on reasons and oughts. Much of the literature on this topic over the last decade stems from attempts to capture the characteristic features of the requirements of rationality.

Type
Chapter
Information
Reasons for Belief , pp. 34 - 53
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×