Is rationality a cognitive faculty?

<ns3:p>Rationality in the standard (economics) sense cannot be a form of intelligence or any other cognitive faculty, such as memory, language, or mathematical skills. To establish this thesis, this paper uses a distinction from set theory, namely, the distinction between “binary relators” and “binary operators”. Rationality, in the standard sense, acts as a binary relator in the sense that it is an optimization method, whereas cognitive ability acts as a binary operator in the sense that it is a transformational function. Rationality as an optimization method (binary relator) does not differ from the neo-Darwinian notion of natural selection: either method seeks to find the best choice or fit trait given the constraints. A cognitive faculty as a transformational function (binary operator) simply translates inputs into outputs. The distinction between standard rationality and cognitive functions has wide-ranging implications for the theory of evolution.</ns3:p>