چکیده:
فلسفه رشر دفاع از عقلانیت اهداف در برابر عقلانیت ابزاری است. رشر عدم توجه به جامعیت مفهوم عقلانیت را موجب درک ناقصی از عقلانیت میداند. عقلانیت عملی علاوه بر جنبه ابزاری، جنبه ارزششناختی دارد که مناسب بودن اهداف را تعیین میکند و این دو مولفه به صورتی منسجم و هماهنگ درهم آمیختهاند. رشر شکاف بین واقعیت و ارزش را مهم میداند و برآن است که با گام کوتاه بدیهیات میتوان از آن گذر کرد. با غیر منطقی دانستن نسبیگرایی و اثبات عقلانیت اهداف و اصول بنیادی عقلانیت به جهانی بودن عقلانیت اصرار میورزد. وی با معرفی سلسله مراتب هنجاری برای انتخاب یک راه حل عقلانی در یک موقعیت معین، وابسته بودن تصمیمهای عقلانی به محیط پیرامونی، نیز نسبیت عقلانیت در لایههای پایینی را میپذیرید. در پژوهش حاضر بعضی از ارکان نظریه رشر: بهینهسازی، مفهوم آدمیت، تعهد وجودی به درک نفس و رابطه واقعیت و ارزش مورد نقد قرار گرفته است.
Introduction: The relationship between rationality and morality is
one of significant issues in philosophy that has been discussed since a
long time ago. The spread of moral relativism and belief in
instrumental rationality challenge this basic principle that nothing is
given priority -or should be given priority- unless it has some merit to
be prioritized. The present article is a research study on the
philosophical attempts made by Nicholas Rescher to defend rationality
of ends against instrumentalist views of rationality.
Method: In this research study, besides data collection and
extracting relevant information to the subject under study, research
fiches were accurately made and then analyzed using comparative
classification and thematic coding. The method of data extraction is
library research and the analytic-argumentative method was used for
inferring the results and answering the questions.
Findings: Rescher believes that inattention to rationality of
evaluation results in an impaired understanding of rationality and
leads to part/whole fallacy. To him, rationality is of three types:
rationality of beliefs, rationality of actions, and rationality of
evaluations. In addition to having an instrumental aspect, rationality of
actions also includes an evaluative aspect that determines the
appropriateness of ends. The comprehensive concept of rationality
coordinates and integrates these two aspects in a coherent manner.
Although Rescher acknowledges the importance of the gap between
reality and value, he believes that this gap can be overcome via
appealing to self-evident truths without necessarily adopting an
instrumentalist view towards rationality. In Rescher’s view, having a
relativist view towards rationality is logically impossible. By
demonstrating the aims and fundamental principles of rationality, he
argues that rationality is universal. At the same time, by introducing a
normative hierarchy to obtain a rational solution for a specific
problem in a real-life situation, he acknowledges that rational
decisions do depend on situational conditions. In other words, he
recognizes that rational relativism is inevitable in the lower levels of
the normative hierarchy. Despite Rescher’s accuracy and deliberation
in presenting ends rationality and overcoming many challenges in this
regard, there are various arguments on serious components of his
conception that need further reflection.
Conclusion: According to Rescher’s view, since all virtues are not
equal and comparable, their achievement requires optimization that is
making a balance between means or instruments for achieving ends in
the best way so it simultaneously concerns efficiency and teleology. If
rationality requires the optimization of incomparable and
contradictory virtues to reach self-actualization, moral virtues should
be combined with nonmoral virtues to get balanced. Therefore, the
inconsistency between rationality and unconditionally general moral
values and obligation to an absolute moral system becomes evident.
Rescher’s definition of humanity and existential commitment to
understanding oneself are among other controversial subjects Rescher
should attribute people’s moral disagreements either to irrationality or
oddness of some individuals and deny moral and rational
disagreement among people; while it is improbable. Based on the
findings of the current research, some of the elements of Rescher’s
conception of rationality such as optimization, humanity, existential
commitment to understanding oneself, and the relationship between
reality and value are subject to serious challenges and criticisms. In
this article, we will discuss these challenges and criticisms thoroughly.
Ultimately, we are going to demonstrate that Rescher’s conception of
rationality with its broad and novel perspective has set the stage for
further philosophical and moral deliberations.