Abstract
In this paper I discuss the kinds of idealisations invoked in normative theories—logic, epistemology, and decision theory. I argue that very often the so-called norms of rationality are in fact mere idealisations invoked to make life easier. As such, these idealisations are not too different from various idealisations employed in scientific modelling. Examples of the latter include: fluids are incompressible (in fluid mechanics), growth rates are constant (in population ecology), and the gravitational influence of distant bodies can be ignored (in celestial mechanics). Thinking of logic, epistemology, and decision theory as normative models employing various idealisations of these kinds, changes the way we approach the justification of the models in question.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Armstrong W. E. (1939) The Determinateness of the utility function. Economic Journal 49: 453–467
Bueno O., Colyvan M. (2011) An inferential conception of the application of mathematics. Noûs 45(2): 345–374
Colyvan M. (2004) The philosophical significance of Cox’s theorem. International Journal of Approximate Reasoning 37(1): 71–85
Colyvan M. (2008) Is probability the only coherent approach to uncertainty?. Risk Analysis 28(3): 645–652
Colyvan M., Cox D., Steele K. (2010) Modelling the moral dimension of decisions. Noûs 44(3): 503–529
Colyvan M., Justus J., Regan H. M. (2011) The conservation game. Biological Conservation 144(4): 1246–1253
Cox R. T. (1946) Probability frequency and reasonable expectation. American Journal of Physics 14: 1–13
Cox R. T. (1961) The algebra of probable inference. Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore
Fine K. (1975) Vagueness, truth, and logic. Synthese 30: 265–300
Giaquinto M. (2002) The search for certainty: A philosophical account of foundations of mathematics. Clarendon Press, Oxford
Gödel, K. (1947). What is Cantor’s continuum problem? (reprinted, revised and expanded). In P. Benacerraf & H. Putnam (Eds.), Philosophy of mathematics selected readings (2nd edn, pp. 470–485). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hyde D. (1997) From heaps and gaps to heaps of gluts. Mind 106: 641–660
Jaynes E. T. (1988) How does the brain do plausible reasoning?. In: Erickson G. J., Smith C. R. (Eds.), Maximum entropy and bayesian methods in science and engineering. Kluwer, Dordrecht
Kahneman D., Slovic P., Tversky A. (1982) Judgement under uncertainty: Heuristics and biases. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Lewis D. (1983) Philosophical papers (Vol. 1). Oxford University Press, Oxford
Lindley D. V. (1982) Scoring rules and the inevitability of probability. International Statistical Review 50: 1–26
Louise J. (2004) Relativity of value and the consequentialist umbrella. The Philosophical Quarterly 54: 518–536
Luce R. D. (1956) Semiorders and a theory of utility discrimination. Econometrica 24: 178–191
Nover H., Hájek A. (2004) Vexing expectations. Mind 113(450): 237–249
Nozick R. (1969) Newcomb’s problem and two principles of choice. In: Rescher N. (Ed.), Essays in honour of Carl G. Hempel. Reidel, Dordrecht
Oddie G., Milne P. (1991) Act and value: Expectation and the representability of moral theories. Theoria 57: 42–76
Priest G. (2008) An introduction to non-classical logic: From if to is, 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Quine W. V. (1980) From a logical point of view, 2nd ed.. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, pp 20–46
Ramsey, F. P. (1928). Truth and probability. In R. B. Braithwaite (Ed.), The foundations of mathematics and other logical essays. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Regan H. M., Colyvan M., Markovchick-Nicholls L. (2006) A formal model for consensus and negotiation in environmental management. Journal of Environmental Management 80(2): 167–176
Russell, B. (1907). The regressive method of discovering the premises of mathematics (reprinted). In D. Lackey (Ed.), Essays in analysis (pp. 272–283). London: George Allen and Unwin.
Shafer G. (1976) A mathematical theory of evidence. Princeton University Press, Princeton
Smith N. J. J. (2008) Vagueness and degrees of truth. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Sorensen R. (1988) Blindspots. Clarendon Press, Oxford
Stein, E. Without good reason: The rationality debate in philosophy and cognitive science. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Van Horn K. S. (2003) Constructing a logic of plausible inference: A guide to Cox’s theorem. International Journal of Approximate Reasoning 34: 3–24
Von Neumann J., Morgenstern O. (1944) Theory of games and economic behavior. Princeton University Press, Princeton
Walley P. (1991) Statistical reasoning with imprecise probabilities. Chapman and Hall, London
Wason P. C. (1962) Psychological aspects of negation: An experimental enquiry and some practical applications. Communication Research Centre, University College London, London
Wason P. C., Johnson-Laird P. N. (1972) Psychology of reasoning: Structure and content. Harvard University Press, Cambridge
Williamson T. (1994) Vagueness. Routledge, London
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Colyvan, M. Idealisations in normative models. Synthese 190, 1337–1350 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-012-0166-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-012-0166-z