Brains (@philosophyofbrains.com)

Alison Springle: Commentary on Ruth Millikan’s ‘The Origin of Declarative Thought’ Alison Springle, University of Miami Ruth’s second post echoes the key themes of one of my favorite essays: Ruth’s “Styles of Rationality” (Ch. 4 of Hurley & Nudds 2006 Rational Animals?). A key move Ruth makes in…

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Alison Springle: Commentary on Ruth Millikan’s ‘The Origin of Declarative Thought’ Alison Springle, University of Miami Ruth’s second post echoes the key themes of one of my favorite essays: Ruth’s “Styles of Rationality” (Ch. 4 of Hurley & Nudds 2006 Rational Animals?). A key move Ruth makes in that essay is to shift our conception of practical reasoning from the Aristotelian practical syllogism-- a kind of proof-- to “the core of actual practical reasoning processes” which she claims “is not like a proof but like a search for a proof…you begin with something you would like to do or to have done and then attempt to construct something like a proof” where the relevant construction is “largely a matter of trial and error.” Accordingly, Ruth approaches rationality as “an ability to make trials and errors in one’s head rather than in overt behaviour” and distinguishes two different kinds of practical reasoning (trial-and-error learning) capacities in terms of the kinds of abilities or skills they involve. https://philosophyofbrains.com/2025/09/18/commentary-on-ruth-millikans-the-origin-of-declarative-thought.aspx?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social