Ethical foundations of the left

[Daniel Davies]

 . In particular,
> >I don't think (in the 21st century) it is possible to use the word or
> >concept of rationality except as shorthand for rational calculation.
> >This statement would seem to be a good primary premise to start out from
> >for any consideration of rationality over the last few centuries.

Care to expand on this remark, sensei?  In particular, I think that a lot of
mischief is done by members of the economics profession in conflating the
meaning of "rational calculation" with the optimisation of utility functions
(particularly if the functions are restricted to those which satisfy the von
Neumann/Morgenstern axioms).  Although a lot of the specialised sense of
"utility maximiser" has crept into the ordinary language meaning of "rational
calculator" since Bentham, another sense remains, and is probably worth
preserving.

dd

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... in countries which do not enjoy Mediterranean sunshine idleness is more difficult, and a great public propaganda will be required to inaugurate it.  -- Bertrand Russell

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