In my dissertation, I argue that rationality, for real humans, is best
understood as a strategy for communication and interacting in a social environment. In particular, I argue that humans are rational to the extent that they
are able to understand and be understood by others, to the extent that they
can give and accept reasons and explanations. This raises a pair of questions.
The first concerns the source of the norms for giving and accepting reasons. The second is why we should accept and follow these norms if they are not guaranteed to preserve truth or optimize outcomes. I address the first question
by arguing that these norms function as constraints on our imaginations, on
the ways in which we can think about or understand the world. This goes
beyond the traditional view that these norms govern acceptable inferences.
Rather, I argue, the more significant function of these norms is to govern the structure of our reasoning in the sense of guiding considerations about the relevance and form of our understandings of situations. This suggests an answer to the second question. We ought to accept these norms because they are self-confirming. Following them allows us to communicate and interact with
others who follow these same norms. In those endeavors that require interaction and coordination in a social group, being understood is frequently more important than being right. / text
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UTEXAS/oai:repositories.lib.utexas.edu:2152/6650 |
| Date | 23 October 2009 |
| Creators | Williams, Fred Madison |
| Source Sets | University of Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | electronic |
| Rights | Copyright is held by the author. Presentation of this material on the Libraries' web site by University Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin was made possible under a limited license grant from the author who has retained all copyrights in the works. |
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