Saturday, September 5, 2009

Rational rationality

Looking around, if I distinguish between the very raitonal folks and the very irraitonal, a feeling emerges that both are inferior.

Many "rational" are living quite rtechnically. Many have a storng need for control, whihc makes them acting raitonal. But htier rationality is at least partly for other emotional reasons as the need to feel that they do always the right thing and the feeling of fully ocntrolling their lives.

But the main problem is the cost that obsessive rationality has. It makes life very effortful, and also avoids and depresses natural behavior and the expression and knowledge aobut one's emotions.

This is not rational. Because the idea of raitonality is to be rational because this is the best way ot get to one;s goals, not because one has side motives.

Others enjoy the ease of not looking for control. But pay the price with not being always rational, whihc may bear a truly heavy price.

Theoretically, it is possible to be rational in the right amount. That is not trying to control everything, but for the important things to be rational (or to be moderately rational on the smaller things. That is rational with the level of thoughts and effort compatible with the issue at hand, a challenging calibration).

There are ceratinly people with more balanced kinds of rationality.

But when a person tries delibarately to be more rational, or someone wants to teach others to be rational, one must consider this complexity. That sometimes being rational comes in a toxic way.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

where rationalism came from? if rational behavior come from moral thing then we are speaking the same code. I think every one of us is behaving rational with moral roots. Or moral belief?

Jazi Zilber said...

Rationality for me is a technical term.

It refers to a way of calculating and thinking about stuff.

No morality implied either side.

Unknown said...

I think you confuse here "being rational" and "being analytical". There are people who by their psychological nature are unable to commit to a decision that they have not analized in all details. There are other people who after a very short contemplation make "gut decisions" just because they can't stand all that analyzing business.

Jazi Zilber said...

My point wasn't about analytics vs. gut feelings (both valid ways of thinking IMHO).

My point is between being raitonal because this is the right decision in a specific case, and being rational for the sake of being rational.
When making the very rationality a goal, one get obligated to it, and may overvalue it.

The point is that being raitonal has a cost, and many times it overweights the benefits.

Anonymous said...

But now seems tha excesive rationalism is irrational, so what is rational after all? Be retional is be it.Zilber Probably what you meant to say people with excesive rationalism dont even know what is rationalism, but i donot think we can quantify rationalism that would be irrational.