[ExI] The Argumentative Theory of Reasoning

[Gordon]

--- On Thu, 6/16/11, Anders Sandberg <anders at aleph.se> wrote:

> Doesn't this theory assume we had
> communication before reasoning?

I think the authors would argue that reason evolved with verbal language; that reason really is part of language and not a separate faculty distinct from it. Like language, reason is a social function. It evolved to work in tandem with others through language.

We might, like Descartes and other rationalists, consider ourselves capable of great reasoning powers in solo, but these authors would say this is a misuse of reason in that when we reason alone, we more easily fall victim to our own cognitive biases. We can hope to overcome these biases when we deliberate in groups. Think of trial by jury. And ExI, for that matter. Come, let us reason together. :)

-gts