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Rationalization enables cooperation and cultural evolution.

Neil Levy1

  • 1Department of Philosophy, Macquarie University, Sydney, 2109Australia; Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, University of Oxford, OxfordOX1 1PT, United Kingdom. neil.levy@mq.edu.auhttps://mq.academia.edu/NLevy.

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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Rationalization may not be for self-planning, but for sharing ideas with others. This social function aids cooperation and cultural evolution.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Science
  • Evolutionary Psychology
  • Social Cognition

Background:

  • Rationalization is often viewed as an internal cognitive process for self-justification and future planning.
  • Previous theories suggest rationalization serves to make mental representations accessible for individual goal pursuit.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To challenge the prevailing view of rationalization as solely an intrapersonal mechanism.
  • To propose an alternative framework where rationalization functions as an interpersonal tool.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis of existing theories on rationalization.
  • Argumentation based on evolutionary and social cognitive principles.

Main Results:

  • The attribution of mental representations to oneself is not always necessary for planning.
  • Rationalization can be maladaptive when viewed as purely an internal process.

Conclusions:

  • Rationalization primarily serves to make mental representations available to other agents.
  • This inter-agent function facilitates cooperation, information transmission, and cumulative cultural evolution.