Etzioni illustrates how purposive/instrumental reasoning is subordinated by normative considerations (ideas on how people ‘ought’ to behave) and affective considerations (as a support system for the development of rational emotive behavioral therapy human relationships). There are many discussions about the essential features shared by all forms, or accounts, of rationality. According to reason-responsiveness accounts, to be rational is to be responsive to reasons.
Normativity
Cognitive and behavioral sciences usually assume that people are rational enough to predict how they think and act. A very influential conception of practical rationality is given in decision theory, which states that a decision is rational if the chosen option has the highest expected utility. Other relevant fields include game theory, Bayesianism, economics, and artificial intelligence. Goal-based accounts characterize rationality in relation to goals, such as acquiring truth in the case of theoretical rationality. Internalists believe that rationality depends only on the person’s mind. Debates about the normativity of rationality concern the question of whether one should always be rational.
Definition and semantic field
They argued that the dominance of instrumental reason in modern society leads to the domination of nature and the dehumanization of individuals. Horkheimer and Adorno highlighted how rationality narrows the scope of human experience and hinders critical thinking. These philosophers’ critiques of rationality shed light on its limitations, assumptions, and potential dangers. Their ideas challenge the universal application of rationality as the sole framework for understanding the complexities of human existence and the world. The concept of rationality has been subject to criticism by various philosophers who question its universality and capacity to provide a comprehensive understanding of reality and human existence. Debates within economic sociology also arise as to whether or not people or organizations are “really” rational, as well as whether it makes sense to model them as such in formal models.
This contrasts with social or collective rationality, which pertains to collectives and their group beliefs and decisions. Rationality is important for solving all kinds of problems in order to efficiently reach one’s goal. In ethics, one question is whether one can be rational without being moral at the same time. Psychology is interested in how psychological processes implement rationality. This also includes the study of failures to do so, as in the case of cognitive biases.
Rationality
- Other relevant fields include game theory, Bayesianism, economics, and artificial intelligence.
- For example, dark clouds are a reason for taking an umbrella, which is why it is rational for an agent to do so in response.
- Psychology is interested in how psychological processes implement rationality.
- Most academic discussions focus on the rationality of individuals.
For example, dark clouds are a reason for taking an umbrella, which is why it is rational for an agent to do so in response. An important rival to this approach are coherence-based accounts, which define rationality as internal coherence among the agent’s mental states. Many rules of coherence have been suggested in this regard, for example, that one should not hold contradictory beliefs or that one should intend to do something if one believes that one should do it. Rationality plays a key role in economics and there are several strands to this.110 Firstly, there is the concept of instrumentality—basically the idea that people and organisations are instrumentally rational—that is, adopt the best actions to achieve their goals.
Based on goals
In this regard, a person acts rationally if they have a good reason for what they do, or a belief is rational if it is based on strong evidence. This quality can apply to an ability, as in a rational animal, to a psychological process, like reasoning, to mental states, such as beliefs and intentions, or to persons who possess these other forms of rationality. A thing that lacks rationality is either arational, if it is outside the domain of rational evaluation, or irrational, if it belongs to this domain but does not fulfill its standards.
A further discussion is whether rationality requires that all beliefs be reviewed from scratch rather than trusting pre-existing beliefs. The meaning of the terms “rational” and “irrational” in academic discourse often differs from how they are used in everyday language. Some of the earlier examples may qualify as rational in the academic sense depending on the circumstances. Examples of irrationality in this sense include cognitive biases and violating the laws of probability theory when assessing the likelihood of future events.12 This article focuses mainly on irrationality in the academic sense. Rationality is the quality of being guided by or based on reason.
Based on rules of coherence
- Many rules of coherence have been suggested in this regard, for example, that one should not hold contradictory beliefs or that one should intend to do something if one believes that one should do it.
- An important rival to this approach are coherence-based accounts, which define rationality as internal coherence among the agent’s mental states.
- The most influential distinction is between theoretical and practical rationality.
- A very influential conception of practical rationality is given in decision theory, which states that a decision is rational if the chosen option has the highest expected utility.
Secondly, there is an axiomatic concept that rationality is a matter of being logically consistent within your preferences and beliefs. Thirdly, people have focused on the accuracy of beliefs and full use of information—in this view, a person who is not rational has beliefs that do not fully use the information they have. Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno, in their seminal work “Dialectic of Enlightenment”117 (1947), questioned the Enlightenment’s rationality.
Various types of rationality are discussed in the academic literature. The most influential distinction is between theoretical and practical rationality. This includes certain mental states and events preceding actions, like intentions and decisions. In some cases, the two can conflict, as when practical rationality requires that one adopts an irrational belief. Most academic discussions focus on the rationality of individuals.
Some have argued that a kind of bounded rationality makes more sense for such models. You say that someone is rational when they are able to think clearly and make decisions and judgements based on reason rather than emotion. Still, when uncertainty and belief play a role, Bayes’ rule is widely recognized as a rational framework for decision-making. From Old French rationel, rational, from Latin rationalis (“of or belonging to reason, rational, reasonable; having a ratio”), from ratio (“reason; calculation”). “It’s a rational response, not just for government workers but for anybody facing instability, to look for short-term sources of income,” Koustas said.