Norms Of Rationality Research Articles

It can be rational to change priors

Abstract According to a widely held norm of rationality, one should not change prior credences without new evidence. An important argument for this norm appeals to accuracy considerations, which say that changing priors does not maximize expected accuracy. This is because accuracy measures are strictly proper, and thus any probabilistically coherent person regards her own priors as uniquely maximizing expected accuracy compared with other priors. This paper attempts to resist the accuracy argument against changing priors. We argue that even if rational epistemic decisions maximize expected accuracy according to strictly proper accuracy measures, it can still be rational to change priors sometimes. The core idea of our argument is that changing priors can be rational if one wants to maximize not just one’s current, short-term accuracy but also future, long-term accuracy. Our argument, if successful, shows that considering long-term accuracy has significant ramifications for the accuracy-first project.

Food security in Ukraine today’s conditions

The system-forming element of national security is food security, which guarantees effective management of the food system, ensuring the food needs of the appropriate quantity and quality of each country’s citizen. Despite the significant potential of the agricultural sector, which forms the basis of food security, the need to analyse the state of food security in the current situation is due to military operations on the territory of Ukraine, which led to its negative global results. In this regard, the need to develop effective strategies and legal regulation is essential to ensure national and global food security, which in turn requires coordination of efforts of all countries and international organisations through international cooperation. The study aims to establish a pattern regarding the current state of food security by analysing the impact of availability, access, usefulness and stability of food supply on food security. Research methods: comparative analysis; taxonomic analysis; systematisation, generalisation. The survey found that Ukraine’s position in the Global Food Security Index (FSI) among 113 countries in 2022 worsened by 13 points, where the worst indicators for domestic food security are sustainability and adaptability (43.5 points out of 100 and 94th place globally) and economic affordability of food (48.1 points out of 100 and 93rd place in the world). It was found that the actual consumption of vegetables, melons, potatoes, and oil in 2021 was slightly higher than the rational norm, indicating sufficient consumption of these products, while the actual consumption of products that are lower than the rational norm includes meat and meat products, milk and dairy products, fish and fish products, and fruits, berries, and grapes. It has been determined that since 2016, the number of kilocalories in the daily diet of the population of Ukraine has not reached the minimum norm of consumption of basic foodstuffs for the working population. It has been established that in 2020 and 2021, the value of the taxonomic indicator for assessing the level of food security (I) has been decreasing, i.e. the distance to the reference vector has been increasing, which indicates a decrease in the level of food security. The forecasting results suggest a downward trend in the food security index for the period 2022–2027, and there is an urgent need to take measures to eliminate this trend and improve the value of the index, which is extremely important for the security of the state, especially in times of war.

In defense of an ordinary life Kantian view on the scope of moral requirement

This paper examines Kant's line of argumentation for the establishment of the highest principles of morality against the background of ethical naturalism. The primary problem of moral philosophy is to understand in what sense we speak of the concept of ‘morality’. Whereas the ordinary understanding of morality is that it comes from nature, Kant argues that morality comes from reason, or that it is a rational norm. Having established the highest principles and norms of morality, Kantian moral philosophy then proceeds to argue that these highest principles and norms are binding on our reality as human beings. This argument is systematically necessary for Kantian moralists. Norms are norms in the sense that they are binding in practice, and therefore the highest moral norms have to be binding in the sense that they are most necessarily binding on practical action, otherwise this would be contrary to the meaning of the highest norms themselves.

Beyond prediction: a new paradigm for understanding suicide risk

Recent meta-studies have shown that there are no known risk factors for suicidal behavior that could be used for behavior prediction, rendering the classic understanding of high and low risk for suicide questionable. The aim of this manuscript is to propose a new understanding of suicide risk that does not depend on predictive powers. In contrast, the developed Normic account of suicide risk, which is based on a possible world framework rather than probability calculations, suggests that the normalcy of an event determines whether the risk for the event’s occurrence is high or low. I suggest that this normalcy stems from the norms of practical rationality for agents who consider self-killing. The more difficult it is to make sense of possible intentional self-killing, the more abnormal the event is, which renders the event less risky. Consequently, from the Normic account of suicide risk, an individual who has weak or no life-sustaining reasons is at high risk for suicide. In conclusion, although the prediction of suicide is beyond the current scope of clinical psychology, there are still reasonable options for understanding what distinguishes individuals at high risk from those at low risk for suicide.

LIVESTOCK DEVELOPMENT IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE UKRAINIAN COUNTRYSIDE AND THE COUNTRY’S FOOD SECURITY

Agricultural production is one of the most important components of the economy of every country, as it guarantees their food security. The livestock products market occupies an important place in the general food market of Ukraine. Ensuring the needs of the population with food products produced from the products provided by the livestock industry depends on its development. However, the actual state of the industry during the last 30 years does not correspond to potential opportunities and is characterized by a reduction in the number of almost all types of farm animals. In the 90s of the last century, after a short-lived reform of the agro-industrial complex, livestock farming in Ukraine underwent negative changes. The population of agricultural animals in large agricultural enterprises (collective farms and state farms) began to decrease at a catastrophic pace, productivity decreased, production became unprofitable and product quality deteriorated, the country’s export potential decreased and the social living conditions of the rural population worsened. All this puts national food security at risk. The article analyzes the state of animal husbandry development in the period 1991–2021 and found that after 1990, the production of the main livestock products moved to private homesteads of peasants, to small areas of homestead plots. Most of the peasants in their households keep pigs (68.4%), sheep and goats (78%), poultry (79.5%), rabbits (99.5%) and bee colonies (88.3%). It was established that in 2021, the production of meat and meat products amounted to 70.1%, milk and dairy products — 44.6% of those produced in 1991, but the production of eggs increased by 8.3% compared to 1991. It was found that the low level of income does not allow Ukrainians to eat well. In 2021, the level of consumption of meat and meat products by the population of Ukraine amounted to 71% of the rational norm and exceeded the minimum necessary norm by only 9.2%. Ukrainians also do not consume enough milk and dairy products — 53.1% of the rational norm, and only eggs — an almost rational norm (95.9%). At the same time, it should be noted that 29% of the average daily diet of Ukrainians is provided by the consumption of products of animal origin. The influence of the enemy’s military actions on the livestock industry of Ukraine is given. Significant losses of farm animals and poultry and ecological damage to the natural environment for decades to come have been caused due to the destruction of animals and the inability to dispose of them in time and in accordance with the rules.

Autonomy and Habit

Abstract An enduring puzzle for theorists of autonomy in the broadly Kantian tradition is how to theorize failures of practical reason. If norms of practical rationality are supposed to be constitutive of agency itself, how can failures to live up them nonetheless be understood as expressions of that agency? Hegelian diagnoses of these difficulties typically emphasize the dichotomies that structure Kantian theories of autonomy, between activity and passivity, reason and nature, norm and desire. They seek to flesh out an alternative that preserves a recognisably post-Kantian notion of autonomy whilst understanding freedom as something that essentially comes in degrees, insisting that self-determination always involves elements of other-determination, and stressing how free subjectivity is inseparable from socio-historically and institutionally bounded character-formation. This article contributes to articulating a Hegelian corrective to Kantian theories of autonomy by beginning to explain the role of habit in Hegel's conception of agency. Building on recent work on Hegel's metaphysics of expression, it shows how he allows us to see conative responses to the world as integral to character development and thus as expressive of free agency, rather than as interruptions to the proper functioning of practical reason. On Hegel's account, the expressive behaviour of mature, reflective agents is grounded in a pre-intentional, affective dimension of subjectivity and presupposes processes of habituation, which he locates at the level of the human ‘soul’. Habit, far from being ‘lifeless, contingent and particular’, is the means by which agents come to make objective contents their own. Understanding the role of habit in Hegel's system is integral to allowing an alternative conceptualization of autonomy to come into view, one on which rational agents express themselves through their affective and emotional responses, rather than merely being a contingent site of those responses.

AI Within Online Discussions: Rational, Civil, Privileged?

While early optimists have seen online discussions as potential spaces for deliberation, the reality of many online spaces is characterized by incivility and irrationality. Increasingly, AI tools are considered as a solution to foster deliberative discourse. Against the backdrop of previous research, we show that AI tools for online discussions heavily focus on the deliberative norms of rationality and civility. In the operationalization of those norms for AI tools, the complex deliberative dimensions are simplified, and the focus lies on the detection of argumentative structures in argument mining or verbal markers of supposedly uncivil comments. If the fairness of such tools is considered, the focus lies on data bias and an input–output frame of the problem. We argue that looking beyond bias and analyzing such applications through a sociotechnical frame reveals how they interact with social hierarchies and inequalities, reproducing patterns of exclusion. The current focus on verbal markers of incivility and argument mining risks excluding minority voices and privileges those who have more access to education. Finally, we present a normative argument why examining AI tools for online discourses through a sociotechnical frame is ethically preferable, as ignoring the predicable negative effects we describe would present a form of objectionable indifference.

Assessment of the state of actual nutrition in the population of the Russian Federation

Introduction. There was conducted the study of the actual nutrition in the population of the Russian Federation in 2017–2021, including a study of its trend and compliance with recommended rational standards.
 Materials and methods. The study used information from the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) on consumption in population of the Russian Federation of the main food groups in households in 2017–2021. The annual representative sample was forty seven thousand eight hundred households. A method used to analyze time series of consumption of basic food products and a comparison of actual nutrition with recommended rational standards was carried out for the whole country, Federal districts, and constituent entities of the Federation.
 Results. In the Russian Federation in 2021, compared to 2017, consumption of most major food groups decreased. Consumption of meat and meat products increased by 6.8%, eggs by 1.3%. Consumption of fish and fish products remained at the same level. The analysis shows a decline in the consumption of bread and bakery products in all federal districts, with the exception of the Far East (an increase of 1.6%); potatoes, vegetable oil, with the exception of the Far East (an increase of 0.8%). At the same time, there is an increase in the consumption of meat and meat products in all federal districts, with the exception of the Far Eastern (decrease by 13.6%). For other product groups, consumption variations were noted.
 Below the recommended rational norms, the Russian population consumes fish and fish products, potatoes, bread, and bakery products, milk and dairy products, vegetables, fruits and berries, eggs, and vegetable oil. At the same time, excessive consumption of sugar (3.8 times higher than the norm), meat and meat products (27% higher than the norm) were noted.
 In the Federal Districts, consumption of most major food groups is below the recommended rational standards. In all federal districts, consumption of meat and meat products, sugar and confectionery products has increased.
 Significant differences have been established in the compliance of consumption levels with recommended rational standards by the population of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation in 2021. In most regions of the Russian Federation, high consumption of meat and meat products by the population is noted. 
 All regions of the Federation have high consumption of sugar and confectionery products.
 Limitations. This study is limited by the size of the representative sample, which was 47.8 thousand households.
 Conclusion. The consequence of an irrational nutrition structure is a violation of the nutritional status, which is expressed in an increase in the prevalence among the population in recent years of such alimentary-dependent pathologies as obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and a number of others.

Estimation of gammaaminobutyric acid intake from the human diet

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an endogenous bioactive compound with essential properties for the normal functioning of the human nervous system. As a potent neurotransmitter, it plays an important role in modulating synaptic transmission by exerting phasic inhibition of neurons. This and other effects of GABA provide the phenomenon of neural tissue plasticity underlying learning, memory, maturation and repair of neural tissue after damage. It also has a wide range of biological actions, including antihypertensive, anti-diabetic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory. In this regard, GABA is increasingly used in the composition of food for special dietary uses and dietary supplements. However, its adequate intake levels have not yet been assessed and its dietary intake has not been characterized. The aim of the review was to estimate the level of GABA intake under balanced consumption of foods, corresponding to rational norms that meet modern requirements of a healthy diet. Material and methods. The existing literature on the problem in recent years was reviewed using the databases RISC, CyberLeninka, Pubmed, and ResearchGate. Results. Based on the analysis of scientific literature, we evaluated the content of GABA in the average daily diet, compiled on the basis of the rational norms of food consumption that meet modern requirements for healthy nutrition (Order of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation dated August 19, 2016. No. 614). The balanced diet can provide about 740 mg of GABA per day, mainly due to vegetables (potatoes - 419 mg/day, beet - 49 mg/day, pumpkin - 41 mg/day), fruits (apple - 15 mg/day, grapes - 3.8 mg/day), as well as low-fat dairy products (92 mg/day). Conclusion. The presented data may be useful in assessing the adequacy of enrichment of foods for special dietary uses and dietary supplements with GABA.

Transformacija solventne potražnje i potrošnje hrane u Ukrajini u uvjetima rata

The article is devoted to the assessment of the state and peculiarities of the formation of the solvent demand for food products in Ukraine during the war and the determination of the optimal amount of wages to ensure the consumption of the main set of food products at the level of rational standards. A comprehensive analysis of structural changes in the solvent demand for food consumption in Ukraine in the war was carried out using the monographic method. Determination of actual and aggregate costs at the level of rational standards for food products was carried out using the calculation-constructive method. The comparison of actual and necessary costs at the level of rational norms for nutrition was carried out on the basis of collected statistical and calculated data by the method of comparative analysis. It is recognized that the war has negative consequences in the nutrition of Ukrainians. During the first year of the war, the price affordability of food products decreased by 26.6% on average. In 2010-2022, the share of population spending on food remains very significant (from 51.6% in 2010 to 57.8% in 2022). In 2023, this indicator is expected to grow to 58.5%. It has been proven that in order to consume basic food products in accordance with rational norms, the population of Ukraine had to spend 1.56 times more in 2021 than the actual expenses. To achieve the level of consumption in accordance with rational standards in 2022, an additional 23,478 UAH per year, or 1,957 UAH per month, is needed. The forecast for 2023 predicts a deterioration of the ratio of actual food costs to costs under rational standards to 1.68. It was determined that in 2021 the wage level should be at least UAH 33,944 (EUR 1,131) per person per month, which is 2.41 times higher than the actual wage level in the country. The war worsened this ratio to 2.6. It was established that in 2023, for food at the level of rational consumption standards, a Ukrainian should earn 38,564 UAH (964 EUR per month), which is 2.9 times higher than the actual wage level (13,423 UAH or 335 EUR). The novelty of the study consists in the development and practical testing of the methodology for determining the optimal wage of Ukrainians to ensure the consumption of the main set of food products at the level of rational standards.

Анализ современного состояния продовольственной безопасности региона

The article discusses the prerequisites for the formation of food security in the region – Lugansk People’s Republic. An analysis of the current state of food security in the region and a factor analysis of the level of food consumption by the population was carried out, the results of which made it possible to establish the discrepancy between the production volumes of the main types of agricultural and food products and the rational norms of food consumption, both of crop and livestock origin. It is proved that the predominant negative impact on the level of food consumption by the population is caused by the factor of insufficient production of basic types of agricultural products. Based on the results of the analysis of self-sufficiency, a discrepancy between the actual volumes of food production and consumption standards was revealed. A conclusion is drawn about the strategic importance and directions of development of the agricultural industry based on effective public policy.

Problems and prospects of functional nutrition in Russia: industry and social aspect

In recent years, great importance has been attached to the preservation and strengthening of public health, the role of disease prevention and the formation of a healthy lifestyle, including the formation of a culture of healthy nutrition of the population. Prolonged improper, irrational nutrition is a factor of increased risk of developing diseases: oncological diseases, alimentary risk factors of which are the presence of carcinogenic additives in food products; diseases of the cardiovascular system; obesity; disorders of the gastrointestinal tract due to the low content of dietary fiber in food; osteoporosis is a change in the composition of bones due to the loss of calcium. The analysis of the nutrition structure of the Russian population indicates significant deviations from the recommendations on rational norms of food consumption that meet modern requirements of a healthy diet. In this paper, a matrix method of developing a formula for a fermented milk product with a high protein content is considered by enriching yogurt with vegetable components: hemp flour, jerusalem artichoke syrup and agave syrup. Using the obtained recipes, samples of fermented milk products were prepared and tasting was carried out. According to the organoleptic results, the expediency of using the matrix method of computer modeling in the development of formulations of fermented milk products is confirmed. The resulting yogurts can be recommended for use by people with diabetes and those who lead a healthy lifestyle, because the protein content in the samples has been increased to 3.7% and the introduction of sugar is excluded.

Radical Cognitivism about Practical Reason

Cognitivism about practical reason is the doctrine that certain aspects of practical reason are really instances of theoretical reason. For example, that intentions are beliefs or that certain norms of practical rationality just are, or reduce to, certain norms of theoretical rationality. Radical cognitivism about practical reason, in contrast, is the more heady view that practical reason just is a species of theoretical reason. It entails that what it is to be a motivational state (of any kind) is to be a belief (of some particular kind), that all practical reasoning is just a variety of theoretical reasoning, and that all practical norms are really a kind of epistemic norm. In this paper, I introduce and motivate this view, before investigating the cognitivist theory of intention and means-end practical reasoning to which such a radical cognitivist is committed. Unlike other cognitivists about practical reason, the radical cognitivist reduces all practical reasoning to theoretical reasoning and all practical norms to epistemic norms. She therefore faces unique challenges in accounting for the basic desiderata on any adequate theory of intention and means-end practical reasoning: whereas other cognitivists can appeal to sui generis practical states (desires) and norms, the radical cognitivist is restricted to the sparse resources – cognitive states and the epistemic norms that govern them – to which she has restricted herself. Here I develop and critically examine the options the radical cognitivist has for satisfying these desiderata. My conclusions are optimistic: there is a defensible formulation of the radical cognitivist’s theory of intention and means-end practical reasoning.

Comparative Learning

AbstractThis article concerns the diachronic rationality norms for comparative confidence judgments, that is, judgments of the form “I am at least as confident in $p$ as I am in $q$.” Specifically, it identifies, characterizes, and evaluates an intuitively compelling learning rule called comparative conditionalization that specifies how agents should revise their comparative confidence judgments in the face of novel evidence.

The Paradox Paradox Non-Paradox and Conjunction Fallacy Non-Fallacy

Brock and Glasgow recently introduced a new definition of paradox and argue that this conception of paradox itself leads to paradox, the so-called Paradox Paradox. I show that they beg the questions during the course of their argument, but, more importantly, do so in a philosophically interesting way: it reveals a counterexample to the equivalence between being a logical truth and having a probability of one. This has consequences regarding norms of rationality, undermining the grounds for the Conjunction Fallacy.

Regimes of normativization: reconsiderations of assistive technologies with Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron”

This article delves into Kurt Vonnegut’s "Harrison Bergeron" to examine the profound implications of assistive technologies within the context of normativity. While Vonnegut’s narrative unfolds in a dystopian future where "desistive devices" are used to enforce equality, Vonnegut’s insights subtly underscore the intricate facets of othered-being that challenge the normativity of assistive technologies. Drawing from the insights of crip studies, this examination argues that assistive technologies often perpetuate and idealize normative bodymind ideals, presenting a consistent framing of the normative human. Through a discourse analysis, this study demonstrates how assistive technologies, despite their variability in individual experiences, embody a normative rationality of human, mindbody existence. These technologies, rather than accommodating diversity, tend to impose a particular standard of "normalcy." In conclusion, the analysis proposes a departure from this normative trajectory. It advocates for a future direction in assistive technologies that fosters and embraces "aberrant-being." By challenging established norms and persistently questioning the constructs of normativity, assistive technologies can evolve to engage with aberrant-being and enliven cripped-embodiment. This exploration paves the way for a more inclusive and diverse future in assistive technology, where human differences are cherished rather than subdued.

INVESTIGATION OF THE DYNAMICS OF RETAIL TRADE TURNOVER AND PUBLIC CATERING IN MOSCOW IN THE CONDITIONS OF TURBULENCE OF THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT

The article examines the dynamics of retail trade and catering turnover in the largest metropolis of Russia — Moscow. The authors found that both indicators respond quickly and clearly to changes in the external environment.
 Based on the analysis of time series of 2015–2022 indicators, the disturbing effect of economic sanctions, the
 Covid-19 pandemic, as well as a special military operation is estimated. The high ability of economic indicators to recover quickly (within a year) after the cessation of disturbing influences has been confirmed. Using the correlation matrix method, close relationships between the variables of time, average salary, retail trade turnover and catering were revealed. Regression equations linking these variables are obtained, after which the effect of retail and catering turnover growth caused by an increase in wages is quantified. The obtained regression equations can be used to predict the values of the considered variables on the horizon the lead time is 2–3 years. The growth of the turnover of Moscow public catering is ensured thanks to the development of the social nutrition system. With its further development, it is advisable to adjust the assortment policy, focusing on a broader offer of dairy products to visitors, since their consumption by Russians has not yet reached the rational norm.

Стратегические прогнозы частичного равновесия физической и экономической доступности продукции

Abstract. Purpose. Preparation of forecasting models to describe the balance of domestic production and domestic consumption of products, taking into account the new mission of strategic planning of the agri-food sector, related to ensuring physical and economic accessibility at the level of rational consumption rates for every citizen of the country. The implementation of the mission is based on the scientific position on food independence in the process of solving food problems. At the present stage, there is a significant potential for increasing the production and consumption of products per capita to the level of rational norms recommended by the Russian Ministry of Health. The fundamental difficulty in solving the problem is due to the lack of balance between the pace of formation of physical and economic accessibility. Methods. Scientific and theoretical generalization of the simulation capabilities of Western European forecasting models, econometric description of physical accessibility depending on economic accessibility for the main types of products. Information support was a set of all-Russian data on resources and their use by types of products for the period 1990–2021, prepared on the basis of the author's methodology for strategic planning of the food balance. Scientific novelty lies in the development of functional models of partial equilibrium of the agri-food market, showing the dependence of physical accessibility on economic accessibility for the main types of products. Results. The calculation results show that the stimulation of physical accessibility through the formation of economic accessibility will lead to improvement and stabilization of the situation in terms of self-sufficiency of rational consumption rates. The resulting models can be used by the participants of strategic planning and management bodies as tools to support the adoption of strategic decisions to determine the level of formation of the physical availability of products when the level of consumption of rational norms is reached and, on this basis, to make adjustments to the strategic documents for the development of the agro-industrial complex.

КЛАСТЕРИЗАЦИЯ РЕГИОНОВ РОССИИ ПО ПОТРЕБЛЕНИЮ ОСНОВНЫХ ПРОДУКТОВ ПИТАНИЯ

The study is aimed at analyzing the actual consumption of basic foodstuffs in comparison with established norms in the context of regions. The main hypothesis is the relationship between the level of selfsufficiency of the region and the fulfillment of consumption norms. According to the results of the study, it was revealed that there is a bias in most regions towards exceeding rational consumption standards for bread and bread products, potatoes, meat and meat products. There is also a shift of some regions towards consumption of vegetables, fruits, milk and dairy products below average. Cluster analysis allowed us to identify three groups of regions. In the group of regions with the best consumption characteristics, they correspond to rational norms of consumption of bread and bread products, meat, potatoes. The second group of regions in most cases fulfills the consumption standard for bread and bread products, meat. The third group includes regions where the actual consumption of products corresponds to the normative values only for the consumption of bread and bread products. The results of the study confirm the dependence of the level of self-sufficiency of the region with food products on the fulfillment of consumption standards in a particular region.

UNPRINCIPLED

AbstractIt is widely thought that chance should be understood in reductionist terms: claims about chance should be understood as claims that certain patterns of events are instantiated. There are many possible reductionist theories of chance, differing as to which possible pattern of events they take to be chance-making. It is also widely taken to be a norm of rationality that credence should defer to chance: special cases aside, rationality requires that one’s credence function, when conditionalized on the chance-making facts, should coincide with the objective chance function. It is a shortcoming of a theory of chance if it implies that this norm of rationality is unsatisfiable. The primary goal of this paper is to show, on the basis of considerations concerning computability and inductive learning, that this shortcoming is more common than one would have hoped.