Abstract: Reasoning is a way of forming or revising attitudes such as beliefs and intentions. But what sets reasoning apart from non-rational ways of forming or revising attitudes? According to a popular approach, reasoning consists in the exercise of dispositions to follow rules. In this paper I examine and reject attempts to make this idea precise. Rule-following theories, as I argue, struggle to capture the defeasibility of most of our reasoning. Taking defeasibility seriously, I suggest, should lead us to endorse what Paul Boghossian calls the Taking Condition, that is, the condition that reasoning requires taking it that your response is supported or warranted by your circumstances.
NB: Tea starts at 3pm
When | Wed Apr 3, 2019 4:30am – 6am Coordinated Universal Time |
Where | Muniment Room, University of Sydney (map) |