Must we be rational?

[Dawud]

If rationality is just a biologically adaptive feature of the human body - why should we let it rule our lives?

If rationality is just a biological feature that can help us pass on our seed, can we really claim anything to be objectively good or bad?

(PS I do not advocate being irrational)

[thesummerqueen]

[genkaus]

If rationality is just a biologically adaptive feature of the human body - why should we let it rule our lives?

Because it helps us lead the best life possible.

If rationality is just a biological feature that can help us pass on our seed, can we really claim anything to be objectively good or bad?

Yes.

[Anomalocaris]

If rationality is just a biologically adaptive feature of the human body - why should we let it rule our lives?

Because it is an infinitely better thing with which to rule your life than that which made you a Muslim.

If rationality is just a biological feature that can help us pass on our seed, can we really claim anything to be objectively good or bad?

(PS I do not advocate being irrational)

If you religious types would all be satisfied with dying without offspring, than I would say rarioanlity is bad for you. But it is good for us because we would want offsprings to enjoy the better world in which you Re extinct.

[paulpablo]

If rationality is just a biologically adaptive feature of the human body - why should we let it rule our lives?

If rationality is just a biological feature that can help us pass on our seed, can we really claim anything to be objectively good or bad?

(PS I do not advocate being irrational)

if you're talking about adaptive behavior then rationality can be adaptive or non adaptive.


Rationality causes people to use condoms, not have sex whenever they feel like it and so on, which is counterproductive to reproductive success.

I don't think rationality is a specifically evolved behavior for passing on our seed, It's more of a bi product of tactical behavior and intelligence.

If you're asking me personally why should i let rationality rule my life, well in my case i probably should so that i don't get an STD or get a girl pregnant.

But rationality is a difficult subject though because in a way no matter what type of person you are you always tend to use rationality by your own standards.

[jstrodel]

Because it helps us lead the best life possible.

You can't define "the best life" in any other terms but those that you know. Why not refrain from forcing others to accept your understanding of the best life?

The best life, according to the modern rationalistic enthusiasts, has resulted in a situation in which people are able to destroy the entire world using nuclear weapons. It is perfectly reasonable to suggest that the best life does not necessarily refer back to the military funded, modern scientific approach to the world.

It is the height of arrogance to suggest that the best life possible is only available when people have the capacity to destroy the entire world, which may be the main byproduct of modern physics.

[Angrboda]

A couple of points.


First, our "rationality" is not as great as is often touted, and so we aren't as rational as many would like to believe.

But more to the point, because of the structure of rational thought (linguistic, propositionally based), we are able to double check the results of rational analysis with methods that yield (relatively) deterministic and predictable results. In some measure, we are able to double check the results of rational cognition, and this is of enormous utility in terms both of excluding bad results, as well as making building on one rational result with another rational result reliable.

I personally don't consider myself particularly rational; my training is in mathematics, and it's my impression that my intuition is my strength. But these are simply multiple tools in the cognitive tool box, and it sounds like you're suggesting we should avoid being rational, or focus on use of a different cognitive tool, preferentially. While I wouldn't suggest avoiding using non-rational methods where appropriate, one needs to bear in mind the strengths and limitations of any cognitive tool one uses. [*see below] (In particular, irrational behaviors in the heart of rationality, in the form of cognitive bias or other errors, can lead people to mistakenly place too much confidence in a rational result. But that's a side matter beyond the general strengths and utility of rationality proper.)

(I recently watched a video which suggested that our dependance on the cognitive personality of one hemisphere of the brain, that hemisphere accessible to the language centers, may have skewed our development as a species or culture. I don't offhand know what to make of that. I'll post the video below.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pla...Fs9WO2B8uI

[*note] I would argue that the system of promoting certain employees to positions of greater responsibility is a systematic method for evaluating people on their ability to use multiple methods of analysis and strategies, and the learning gained through experience, in solving problems relevant to the running of the specific business. It's a system which operates (loosely) on the principle that the best predictor of future performance is past behavior. Consistent with that principle, people are promoted on the conclusion that, regardless of how they arrive at their decisions, the combined set of cognitive tools they employ will outperform those of the person who was passed over for promotion. Intuition based on professional experience is a bedrock tool in our society, and its not really a typically "rational" cognitive process (though lesser or greater amounts of reasoning may be involved).