Is it rational to maximize rationality?

[ignoramus]

Why do I suddenly feel like listening to some old classic Judas Priest! 
That album and British Steel were the bomb back then.

[robvalue]

Quick, rationalise this denominator:

4/(3-sqrt(2))

[ignoramus]

I'm a Vulcan! That's the "only" language I understand innately.
Why did you just express: "My mother wears army boots?"

[robvalue]

I was checking my encoder was working properly. Looks like it isn't.

[Whateverist]

So, are people saying that it is rational to be irrational?  Or that it is irrational to be rational?

I'm just saying you don't need to make it the center of your universe.  There are venues that call for rationality and others that don't.  I'm especially leery of it in regards to morality.

To be rational morally is to live your life in accordance with a moral code of some kind.  This is what I object to.  When you decide what the code is or should be you're making a decision around which you will attempt to live your life.  But why should you think you are smarter or morally better now than you will be then?  A moral code isn't necessary.  Why enchain your future self to your current self which is already your past self?  More importantly, why live a life this way?  Trust yourself is my advice.

Addendum: I suppose the rationale for living by a moral code is the desire to be accountable which stems from the desire to hold others accountable. That isn't such a bad thing. But the question remains, what does that requires and what is it worth? I've heard it said that the reason for reason is to determine the limits of reason. That's more or less the impetus for this thread.

[robvalue]

Problem is, you're being rational in weighing that up and coming to a decision. If instead you decided by writing options on apples, throwing them into the garden then seeing which one got eaten by an animal first, then you'd come off worse

[Whateverist]

But I don't think the 'opposite' of rational is random or crazy. Rational is what our amazing human brains can do. But that brain is part and parcel of a structure that includes a perfectly good mammalian brain and even reptilian brain. I don't think those have been disabled by the emergence of our human brains. They're still functional and do not rely on rationality. There is something gratifying about moving through the world at least part of the time while operating out of these beautiful, nonverbal brains. That is why I don't seek to maximize rationality, just the opposite. The verbal human brain can make you crazy.

[robvalue]

Sure, I agree that absolutely maximising in the strictest sense would be counter productive. If that was the question, I'd give a different answer. I read it as generally looking to improve your rationality where appropriate.

But since it's your question, you get to say how it should be read!

[Whateverist]

Well, I muddied the waters by rephrasing the question for the poll differently than the title of the thread. The poll's question probably reads most naturally the way you answered it.

Gotta be careful what I ask for, I might just get it.