Weighing Reasons
Updated 2026-09-10
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
Many things bear on what ought to be done, such as promises, rights, and welfare, and many bear on what ought to be believed, such as perceptual experience, prior probabilities, and expert opinion. These are called reasons or considerations; they often compete with one another, supporting incompatible actions, and some carry more weight than others. The central question is what fixes the weight of a reason and whether weight is context-dependent.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Weight inventory: list the reasons for and against, and judge the relative importance of each. - Context check: confirm whether a reason's weight varies with the situation rather than staying fixed. - Summation vigilance: test whether a weighted sum yields what ought to be done; if not, weigh the whole.
Anchor fast decisions
The weight of a reason often depends on its context: the same reason, such as a promise, carries different force depending on whether a stronger reason such as emergency aid is present. Holists hold that weight varies with context, atomists that it can be fixed independently; this disagreement determines whether an additive model can compute what ought to be done.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- plato.stanford.eduhttps://plato.stanford.edu/entries/weighing-reasons/verified
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