In this paper, I first identify the four paradigms of rationality which have dominated studies on the relation between and culture in the definition of what characterizes human rationality. I then show how none of them can account for variability and, at the same time, complexity of people’s ways of reasoning from both a descriptive and a normative standpoint. Finally, I conclude by arguing for an interpretation of the hypothesis of “dual nature of human cognition” proposed by David Moshman, which seems to achieve a good compromise between universalistic and relativistic viewpoints in relation to studies on human rationality.
