Is Rationality Essential to Mind?

This paper defends the thesis that rationality is essential to mind. I begin by clarifying the notion of rationality, arguing that it should be understood in broad, uncodifiable, and relative terms (the threefold characterization of rationality). Using this clarified conception, I then develop Quine-Davidson’s Argument from Attribution to defend a precise Rationality Requirement: in attributing mental states to a subject S, we must treat S as one of us, namely, as a rational being. Finally, I consider and respond to a range of objections, including the Gap Problem and the Question-Begging Problem, showing that the essential role of rationality in the mind remains robust.