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Rationality has long been a central topic in philosophy, crossing standard divisions and categories. It continues to attract much attention in published research and teaching by philosophers as well as scholars in other disciplines, including economics, psychology, and law. The Oxford Handbook of Rationality is an indispensable reference to the current state of play in this vital and interdisciplinary area of study. Twenty-two newly commissioned chapters by a roster of distinguished philosophers provide an overview of the prominent views on rationality, with each author also developing a unique and distinctive argument.
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The Oxford Handbook of Rationality ALFRED R. MELE PIERS RAWLING, Editors OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS the oxford handbook of RATIONALITY ...................................................................................................................................................... O X F OR D H A ND B OOKS IN PH I LOS O P H Y PAU L K. MO SER, g enera l e dit o r ...................................................................................................................................................... Series Advisory Board R O B E RT A U D I University of Nebraska M A RT H A N U S S B A U M University of Chicago ALVIN PLANTINGA University of Notre Dame ERNEST SOSA Brown University the oxford handbook of ...................................................................................................................................................... RATIONALITY ...................................................................................................................................................... Edited by A L F R E D R . ME LE P I E R S R AWLI N G 1 2004 1 Oxford New York Auckland Bangkok Buenos Aires Cape Town Chennai Dar es Salaam Delhi Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kolkata Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi Sa˜o Paulo Shanghai Taipei Tokyo Toronto Copyright 2004 by Oxford University Press, Inc. Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The Oxford handbook of rationality / edited by Alfred R. Mele and Piers Rawling. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-19-514539-9 1. Reason. I. Mele, Alfred R., 1951– II. Rawling, Piers. BC177.094 2003 128'.33—dc21 2003042976 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper Acknowledgments ............................................................................... For advice and encouragement, we are grateful to Dick Jeffrey, Paul Moser, Peter Ohlin, several anonymous readers, and many of the contributors to this volume. We are grateful as well to Peter Hanowell for his efficient and cheerful assistance with the manuscript, and to Adam Sipos for compiling the index. Special thanks are owed to the contributors for their excellent essays. This page intentionally left blank Contents ........................................ Contributors, ix 1. Introduction: Aspects of Rationality, 3 Alfred R. Mele and Piers Rawling Part 1. The Nature of Rationality 2. Theoretical Rationality: Its Sources, Structure, and Scope, 17 Robert Audi 3. Practical Aspects of Theoretical Reasoning, 45 Gilbert Harman 4. Procedural and Substantive Practical Rationality, 57 Brad Hooker and Bart