Curating the richness of cognitive niches

pp. 97-110

in: Tommaso Bertolotti, Patterns of rationality, Berlin, Springer, 2015

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the curation of cognitive niches understood as the curation of eco-cognitive chances: as chances can be faked, it seems intuitive to think that the inhibition of chance-faking contexts is a good activity of chance curation. Yet, could this activity sometimes be counterproductive? The question will be answered positively considering the case of bullshit as a case of fake chances, but also as a fertile ground for learning and developing intuitions. Ultimately, this chapter will argue that the peculiar context, that is the cognitive niche supporting the (potentially) fake chances, is the discriminating factor: indeed, a rich cognitive niche may benefit from certain kind of fake chances—which should therefore not be inhibited—whereas a poorer niche might not benefit from this situation, and therefore the preclusion of fake chances is an act of chance curation in those contexts.