TY - JOUR
T1 - Instrumental desires, instrumental rationality
T2 - I - Michael Smith
AU - Smith, Michael
AU - Harcourt, Edward
PY - 2004
Y1 - 2004
N2 - The requirements of instrumental rationality are often thought to be normative conditions on choice or intention, but this is a mistake. Instrumental rationality is best understood as a requirement of coherence on an agent's non-instrumental desires and means-end beliefs. Since only a subset of an agent's means-end beliefs concern possible actions, the connection with intention is thus more oblique. This requirement of coherence can be satisfied either locally or more globally, it may be only one among a number of such requirements on an agent's total set of desires and beliefs, and it has no special connection with reasoning. An appreciation of these facts leads to a better understanding of both the nature and the significance of instrumental rationality.
AB - The requirements of instrumental rationality are often thought to be normative conditions on choice or intention, but this is a mistake. Instrumental rationality is best understood as a requirement of coherence on an agent's non-instrumental desires and means-end beliefs. Since only a subset of an agent's means-end beliefs concern possible actions, the connection with intention is thus more oblique. This requirement of coherence can be satisfied either locally or more globally, it may be only one among a number of such requirements on an agent's total set of desires and beliefs, and it has no special connection with reasoning. An appreciation of these facts leads to a better understanding of both the nature and the significance of instrumental rationality.
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U2 - 10.1111/j.0309-7013.2004.00117.x
DO - 10.1111/j.0309-7013.2004.00117.x
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:60949480551
SN - 0066-7374
VL - 78
SP - 93
EP - 109
JO - Proceedings of the Aristotelean Society
JF - Proceedings of the Aristotelean Society
IS - 1
ER -