Rules as Patterns Between Normativism and Naturalism

Abstract

In the paper, basing predominantly on ideas of Sellars and so-called “Pittsburg school” of philosophy, I focus on the relation between naturalism and normativsim in rule following. In the first part I investigate a vicious regress threat in rule-following and problems that arise when one reduces rule-following to merely regular actions or extends rule-following to following representations of rules. In the second and third part as a Third Way between regularism and intellectualism I reintroduce and critically discuss Sellars idea of pattern-governed behavior that on the one hand helps to overcome sketched difficulties but on the other forces us to accept the irreal status of rules.