Lexicon of Arguments

 

III 29
Rationality/Justification/RationalityVsVs/Black: four positions:
1) the question itself is incoherent or contradicts itself (Geach) >Rationality/Geach.
2) The question makes sense, but cannot expect a rational response (Ayer)
3) rationality must be based on something non-rational (Popper)
4) The impossibility of a response shows that rationality does not need a justification (defense) - Black: Another possibility: proto-rationality as a justification of rationality - E.g. risk response without time for reflection.
III 31
The proto-rationaliy is then the subsequent construction of reasons.
III 32
Quasi-rationality/animal/Black: behavior "as if" one had reasons, e.g. as if the stone hit the target - (because it could hit).
Authors on Rationality: >Popper, >P.Singer, >Ayer, >Hume.
III 33
Anti-Rationalism/Black: for the anti-rationalist to survive at all, we we must assume proto-rationality in his case - all further rationality is based on the social abilities - "otherwise he would be without friends.
III 36
Key point: as a child one has no choice about whether one wants to be rational.
Irrationality: one would have to become someone else’s pet -this would lead to pathy.