Comparing the axiomatic and ecological approaches to rationality: fundamental agreement theorems in SCOP

Synthese 195 (2):529-547 (2018)
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Abstract

There are two prominent viewpoints regarding the nature of rationality and how it should be evaluated in situations of interest: the traditional axiomatic approach and the newer ecological rationality. An obstacle to comparing and evaluating these seemingly opposite approaches is that they employ different language and formalisms, ask different questions, and are at different stages of development. I adapt a formal framework known as SCOP to address this problem by providing a comprehensive common framework in which both approaches may be defined and compared. The main result is that the axiomatic and ecological approaches are in far greater agreement on fundamental issues than has been appreciated; this is supported by a pair of theorems to the effect that they will make accordant rationality judgements when forced to evaluate the same situation. I conclude that ecological rationality has some subtle advantages, but that we should move past the issues currently dominating the discussion of rationality.

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Patricia Rich
Universität Bayreuth

Citations of this work

Axiomatic and ecological rationality: choosing costs and benefits.Patricia Rich - 2016 - Erasmus Journal for Philosophy and Economics 9 (2):90.
Hybrid Vigor.Patricia Rich - 2018 - Erasmus Journal for Philosophy and Economics 11 (1):1-30.

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