
Contents
-
-
-
-
-
-
1. From Bounded Rationality to Ecological Rationality 1. From Bounded Rationality to Ecological Rationality
-
1.1. Ecological Rationality 1.1. Ecological Rationality
-
1.2. Social Rationality 1.2. Social Rationality
-
1.3. Cognitive Niche Construction 1.3. Cognitive Niche Construction
-
-
2. Variation of Reasoning and Rationality across Individuals 2. Variation of Reasoning and Rationality across Individuals
-
2.1. Cultural Differences 2.1. Cultural Differences
-
2.2. Rationality in Groups 2.2. Rationality in Groups
-
2.3. Individual Differences 2.3. Individual Differences
-
-
3. Concluding Remarks 3. Concluding Remarks
-
References References
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
3 Reasoning and Rationality
Get accessColin Allen is professor in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science and in the Program in Cognitive Science at Indiana University, Bloomington, where he is also a faculty member in the Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior. He publishes regularly on topics in animal cognition and the philosophical foundations of cognitive ethology, and since arriving at Indiana in 2004 he has enjoyed being challenged to think about the historical contexts in which controversies about animal behavior and cognition arise and about how current developments in biology and cognitive science might reframe the debates.
Peter M. Todd, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
Jonathan M. Weinberg, Department of Philosophy and Cognitive Science Program, University of Arizona
-
Published:01 May 2012
Cite
Abstract
The article explores five parts of Cartesian thought that include individualism, internalism, rationalism, universalism, and human exceptionalism demonstrating the philosophical and psychological theories of rationality. Ecological rationality comes about through the coadaptation of minds and their environments. The internal bounds comprising the capacities of the cognitive system can be shaped by evolution, learning, or development to take advantage of the structure of the external environment. The external bounds, comprising the structure of information available in the environment, can be shaped by the effects of minds making decisions in the world, including most notably in humans the process of cultural evolution. The internal constraints on decision-making including limited computational power and limited memory in the organism and the external ones include limited time push toward simple cognitive mechanisms for making decisions quickly and without much information. Human exceptionalism is one of the strands of Residual Cartesianism that puts the greatest focus on language and symbolic reasoning as the basis for human rationality. The invention of symbolic systems exhibits how humans deliberately and creatively alter their environments to enhance learning and memory and to support reasoning. Nonhuman animals also alter their environments in ways that support adaptive behavior. Stigmergy, an important mechanism for swarm intelligence, is the product of interactions among multiple agents and their environments. It is enhanced through cumulative modification, of the environment by individuals.
Sign in
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Purchase
Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.
Purchasing informationMonth: | Total Views: |
---|---|
October 2022 | 8 |
November 2022 | 9 |
December 2022 | 3 |
January 2023 | 15 |
February 2023 | 10 |
March 2023 | 24 |
April 2023 | 2 |
May 2023 | 5 |
June 2023 | 5 |
July 2023 | 6 |
August 2023 | 7 |
October 2023 | 6 |
November 2023 | 5 |
December 2023 | 9 |
January 2024 | 9 |
February 2024 | 6 |
March 2024 | 9 |
April 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 2 |
July 2024 | 10 |
August 2024 | 6 |
September 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 3 |
November 2024 | 9 |
December 2024 | 2 |
January 2025 | 2 |
February 2025 | 7 |
March 2025 | 10 |
April 2025 | 16 |
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.