John Broome, 'Reasoning'

 

Abstract

Reasoning requires various things of us. For example, it requires that we do not have contradictory beliefs, and it requires that we intend to do what we believe we ought to do. Reasoning is an activity of ours by means of which we can bring ourselves to satisfy some of the requirements of rationality. For example, the activity of practical reasoning can bring us to intend to do what we believe we ought to do. That is to say, it is the process by which a normative belief can motivate action. But the process of reasoning - particularly practical reasoning - is hard to understand. This paper begins to explore it.