I think this was a legitimate use of “by definition”, since it’s the definition we use on this website. You’re right that “rational” has often meant “blindly crunching numbers without looking at all available information &c.” but I thought we had a widespread agreement here not to use the word like that.
You’re right that my response seems excessive, but I don’t know if it actually is excessive rather than merely seeming so.
I think this was a legitimate use of “by definition”, since it’s the definition we use on this website.
A term “bad rationality” is also used on this website. It is a partial rationality, and it may be harmful. On the other hand, as humans, partial rationality is all we have, don’t we?
But now I am discussing labels on the map, not the territory.
You’re attaching a negative connotation where there doesn’t have to be one. In econ and game theory literature, “rational” means something else, not necessarily something bad. It also refers to something specific. If we want to talk about that specific referent, we have limited options.
I would propose suffixing alternative uses of the word “rational” with a disambiguating particle. Thus above, Yvain could have used “econ-rational”. If we ever have cause to talk about the Rationalist philosophical tradition, they can be “p-Rationalists”. Annoyingly, I don’t actually believe we need to do this for disambiguation purposes.
I think this was a legitimate use of “by definition”, since it’s the definition we use on this website. You’re right that “rational” has often meant “blindly crunching numbers without looking at all available information &c.” but I thought we had a widespread agreement here not to use the word like that.
You’re right that my response seems excessive, but I don’t know if it actually is excessive rather than merely seeming so.
A term “bad rationality” is also used on this website. It is a partial rationality, and it may be harmful. On the other hand, as humans, partial rationality is all we have, don’t we?
But now I am discussing labels on the map, not the territory.
You’re attaching a negative connotation where there doesn’t have to be one. In econ and game theory literature, “rational” means something else, not necessarily something bad. It also refers to something specific. If we want to talk about that specific referent, we have limited options.
I would propose suffixing alternative uses of the word “rational” with a disambiguating particle. Thus above, Yvain could have used “econ-rational”. If we ever have cause to talk about the Rationalist philosophical tradition, they can be “p-Rationalists”. Annoyingly, I don’t actually believe we need to do this for disambiguation purposes.