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The concept of rationality is in dispute today, with philosophers taking up two camps. In one, for a person to be rational involves instrumental reason relative to his desires. If a subject desires to go fishing, it may be rational for him to buy fishing equipment. This view is sometimes called internalism. According to externalism, a person’s desires may themselves be rational or irrational to the extent that the person is responsive to the reasons he has for acting, thinking, and feeling. On this view, a person may lack a desire to be healthy, but he still has a reason to live in a healthy manner. Why? On most accounts of externalism, this is because it is good for him to be healthy. Sometimes philosophers will use the word “rational” to refer to instrumental reason (internalism) and use the term “reasonable” to refer to this alternative approach in which a person is responsive to reasons. Philosophers in both camps assume that, minimally, to be...
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Taliaferro, C. (2013). Rationality (Philosophical). In: Runehov, A.L.C., Oviedo, L. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sciences and Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8265-8_1549
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