The Theory of Directed Rationality

Abstract

Human rationality is a function of the mental arithmetic underlying behavior. Here, I briefly discuss the dominant theoretical paradigms on human rationality and highlight their unambiguous treatment of cognitive functioning as the whole and soul of mental functioning. I argue that such a narrow view of mental functioning is at best incomplete and requires a revision. Cohering the missing pieces, I present a nuanced approach to unraveling the whole of mental functioning as cyclical process involving motivation, cognition, and affect. I then layout how such a holistic view of mental functioning paves way a new perspective on what makes humans rational and call this ‘directed rationality’. I then flesh out the theory of directed rationality and present plausible research directions.

Keywords: Affect; Cognitive Functioning; Motivation; Rationality

JEL Classification: D03