O ser humano e a arte de dar razões

Abstract

The objective of this thesis is to understand exclusively human rationality as a natural phenomenon, being the result of a long evolutionary process. Rationality here is understood as the human capacity to give reasons to your actions, beliefs, wishes and goals. It is only possible because humans have a propositional language that allows them to distance themselves from the immediate situation, which provides greater flexibility in responses and behavior. To understand naturalized rationality, it is necessary to analyze it from two perspectives: from the perspective of the individual and from the perspective of the species. From the point of view of the species, the evolutionary process led - gradually - to the development of different capacities that culminated in the development of rationality, that are: individual, joint and collective intentionality, capacity for reading minds, development of a propositional language, formation of an objective perspective, construction of culture and morality. Cooperation and interaction were essential in this process. From the point of view of the individual, rationality and other skills related to it develop only if there is maturation and interaction and all of them continue to develop throughout life. Rationality is formed through life experiences, being influenced by culture, the environment and the interactions that take place with other beings; the body and affections are an essential part of this process. Because it is a continuous process, rationality can be perfected and improved, by searching for better and better grounded reasons, by constantly searching for the truth, by reflection, by self-reflection, by the attention given to experiences and by being open to other people's reasons.