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Rationality, philosophy: rationality is the ability of a being to consciously adapt to a situation due to the generalizations of his experiences. It can also be rational to want to learn something new. See also system, order, creativity, discoveries, evaluation, repetition.
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Annotation: The above characterizations of concepts are neither definitions nor exhausting presentations of problems related to them. Instead, they are intended to give a short introduction to the contributions below. – Lexicon of Arguments.

 
Author Concept Summary/Quotes Sources

Ruth Millikan on Rationality - Dictionary of Arguments

I 66
Rationality/Bennett/Millikan: it seems as if he should not choose "abbreviations" as a rational human. That is, one must take into account not only positive evidence, but also negative ones.
General/formal: e.g. assuming, John believes
"Usual": if A then B and also:
"Not-(usual: if A-and-not-C, then B)"
Rational: would then follow that John would have to believe
A) "usual: if A then C" and
B) if A and C, then B. Then there are the following possible cases.
1. The only evidence for C comes from that John knows that usually, if A then C. Then he should simply pass from A to B.
2. John has independent ways to believe C due to evidence. And he encounters A, while he already has evidence for not-C.
I 67
Then, rationally, he should also believe that not-C and not conclude from A to B.
3. John has independent evidence according to which he could know C, but this time he does not know beforehand whether C.
Question: then, in order to be rational, must he first check whether C?
Millikan: Let's suppose he needs to do it.
Problem: if this again depends solely on the fact that he believes:
"Usually if D, then C", etc.
Rationality/Millikan: Problem: The more knowledge one acquires, the more he has to strive to be rational at all. Would it not be better for him to refrain from the whole checking process?
>Verification
, >Confirmation, >Knowledge/Millikan.

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Explanation of symbols: Roman numerals indicate the source, arabic numerals indicate the page number. The corresponding books are indicated on the right hand side. ((s)…): Comment by the sender of the contribution. Translations: Dictionary of Arguments
The note [Concept/Author], [Author1]Vs[Author2] or [Author]Vs[term] resp. "problem:"/"solution:", "old:"/"new:" and "thesis:" is an addition from the Dictionary of Arguments. If a German edition is specified, the page numbers refer to this edition.

Millikan I
R. G. Millikan
Language, Thought, and Other Biological Categories: New Foundations for Realism Cambridge 1987

Millikan II
Ruth Millikan
"Varieties of Purposive Behavior", in: Anthropomorphism, Anecdotes, and Animals, R. W. Mitchell, N. S. Thomspon and H. L. Miles (Eds.) Albany 1997, pp. 189-1967
In
Der Geist der Tiere, D Perler/M. Wild, Frankfurt/M. 2005


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