ABSTRACT
In the introduction to TOMD, Brandom lays out five different conceptions of rationality in a progressive sequence, so that each subsequent conception incorporates the insights of the previous one, while amending or advancing it in some way (TOMD: 1-17). Since one of the five conceptions is Brandom’s own inferentialist one, one would expect it to be the fifth and final in the sequence, thereby portraying it as the most complete conception of rationality available. Surprisingly, inferentialism is the fourth of the conceptions presented, and is incorporated into and improved upon by a fifth, a historical conception of rationality.
