Acta Structuralica

international journal for structuralist research

Series | Book | Chapter

201860

Curating the richness of cognitive niches

Tommaso Bertolotti

pp. 97-110

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.

Publication details

Published in:

Bertolotti Tommaso (2015) Patterns of rationality: recurring inferences in science, social cognition and religious thinking. Dordrecht, Springer.

Pages: 97-110

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-17786-1_6

Full citation:

Bertolotti Tommaso (2015) Curating the richness of cognitive niches, In: Patterns of rationality, Dordrecht, Springer, 97–110.