20201126_Philosophy_The_Arbitrariness_of_Instrumental_Rationality_Jack_Woods

Date

Nov 26 2020

Time

4:30 pm - 6:15 pm

Labels

Department of Philosophy

Department of Philosophy

ONLINE JOINT SEMINAR
The University of Hong Kong
Lingnan University
National University of Singapore

Jack Woods
University of Leads

 

The Arbitrariness of Instrumental Rationality


Zoom link:

https://lingnan.zoom.us/j/91761022322

Abstract:
Structural requirements of rationality call out for explanation. I argue here that naturalistic explanations of these requirements face a difficult challenge. The most natural explanations of them take them to be related directly to the function of rationality, but the function of rationality can be well served by different, mutually incompatible, sets of requirements. Moreover, the requirements which most directly fit the function of rationality aren’t the ones which are most intuitive; they are rather exactly the sort of cases that seem negotiable. I suggest a way out for the naturalist by letting the functional role of rationality be a regulative ideal of rationality—a standard against which sets of requirements are judged to be good or bad—but not a constitutive ideal. This package is able to explain structural requirements of rationality without running into the explanatory challenge.

Thursday
26 November 2020
4:30-6:15 pm

For inquiries:
Amit Chaturvedi
amitc@hku.hk

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