History of Science and Technology Colloquium

In philosophy, persons are often distinguished by a propensity for reflection—a conscious and concerted mentation effecting control of behavior. In psychology, research on unconscious processing suggests that this philosophical conception of persons is unrealistic; ethically significant human behavior is very often beyond reflective control. A psychologically lifelike conception of persons will therefore de-emphasize reflective control; instead, the human ethical distinctiveness marked with such philosophical honorifics as "person," "agency," "practical rationality," and "the self" is found in the collaboratively developed rationalizing explanations of behavior by which humans living in groups regulate their lives.