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IS-MOBIL-Mobilitetsprogr.f.utl.Ph.D-stu

Rationality, Normativity, and Cognitive Development

Awarded: NOK 0.13 mill.

Project Number:

195770

Project Period:

2009 - 2010

Rationality is a fundamental concept for the social sciences, psychology, and philosophy. It is fundamental in two senses: theoretical and a practical. It is theoretically fundamental as the concept of rationality is employed in the reduction and explanat ion of many philosophically significant concepts and social phenomena. Rationality is practically fundamental, as it provides us with a behaviour-guiding and justificatory standard of action and belief formation. Theories of rationality are often taken to contribute extensively to answering the questions 'What should I or others do' and 'What should I or others believe'. The general aim of this research project is to develop a theory of rationality that meets these theoretical and practical demands. An im portant aspect of such a theory will be the provision of a list of norms or requirements of rationality. However, a list of requirements will not be enough; it must be supplemented by a definitional, logical, and normative interpretation of rationality an d its requirements. In particular, we need a theory that makes the application of a rationality requirement dependent on an agent's cognitive development. Providing such a theory will be the main focus of my research project. Broadly, the theory of ration ality that will be developed has two dimensions. One axis is the scale from rationality to irrationality, while the other is from rationality to non-rationality. The second axis is where most of the innovation will be as it deals with an agent's cognitive abilities: this is the frontier between philosophy of mind and psychology/cognitive science. This research will contribute to our understanding of both rationality and normativity and is therefore of broad relevance to philosophy, law, and the social sci ences. In particular, the results could either vindicate or demolish the 'normative turn' economics has recently undergone, i.e. the re-interpretation of the formal requirements of choice as being normative. .

Funding scheme:

IS-MOBIL-Mobilitetsprogr.f.utl.Ph.D-stu