Irrationality is often treated with contempt in this modern scientific world. Being a theist, I hold a large set of irrational beliefs. In other words, there is no standard set of logical arguments to prove some of my basic beliefs. My fellow irrationalists, there is no reason to be ashamed.
Firemen enter burning buildings to save human lives. If a fire personnel were to bravely enter a building and bring out a small kid alive, what would you call him? What would you call that deed? Bravery? Heroic? What if the child he brings out is dead? Is he still a hero?
If you were on his shoes, what would you feel? Carrying a dead kid in your arms, will you feel successful or not? What if before entering you knew that there was hardly any chance of saving the little kid, would you still enter the building? Would you risk your life when there is hardly any chance to succeed? If you did not make an attempt, would you later feel guilty for not doing so?
Say you have entered the building and you see two people who need your help: an able man and a helpless kid. But the chances of saving the man is much more than saving the kid. Who would you choose to help? Would you attempt to save the man's life or try saving the kid and lose both?
I have just used some extreme situations to illustrate my point. During our lives, we are forced to choose between rational and irrational choices on different occasions. Certain irrational choices are guided by love and some by faith in the unseen. While some others are just momentary actions forced by anger, fear or anxiety.
Don't believe someone if he says all his choices are rational. Hypocrisy is the hallmark of most rationalists. There are numerous occasions were we all display irrational behaviour. Just as all forms of rational thinking do not lead to development, irrational thinking can also lead to stagnation. Superstitions are the worst of them. But as long as irrational thinking is supported by righteous principles like equality, justice, love for others and a quest for knowledge, it does little harm.
The main weakness of rational thinking is the limitation of the human mind to consider all influencing factors to make a decision.
Monday, January 01, 2007
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13 comments:
can't agree more with that last paragraph of yours.. that's something I firmly believe in.. human cognition can never grasp all possible consequences while trying to reach a decision...
rational or not...the decision is instinctive..sometimes we canno know how we will react till he very last moment!!
Well, I dont see why you are trying to be rational in justifying that you are irrational. I dont agree with so many irrational things that you do :-? but do I care? no! cos its just you who has to decide what you wanna do.. you could just summarized the whole blog in a sentence like "I dont care!" :D
not all arguments are rational arguments. being irrational does not mean you have to keep quiet and not explain to others your irrational point of view.
irrational arguments rely on emotions, deep thought unlike rational arguments which depend on logic and human ego.
here i have tried to inspire my fellow irrational thinkers. :)
rationalism is only a vehicle. Logic can only connect, but not create.
Guru, you are logically irrational.
I like your arguments.
Firstly, very good post. Liked the stuff you wrote and your nice way of putting it. I'm bookmarking your blog since it looks like this space deserves to be watched. I havent seen too many blogs out there with as good a way of putting it as this.
That said, I dont quite agree with the content.
Firstly, rationalism does not have much to do with the examples you cited. Were the person in your example to choose to save the adult rather than a child, he would still be a hero. While it may be contrued more noble to save the kid, saving the adult makes the guy no less a hero.
Hence the problem with
Hypocrisy is the hallmark of most rationalists.
How you arrived at the above conclusion is not clear.
However, this is perfectly true
The main weakness of rational thinking is the limitation of the human mind to consider all influencing factors to make a decision
But in defence of rational thinking vis a vis irrational thinking (which is an oxymoron, IMHO), at least rational thinking does take into consideration the visible factors. Irrational thinking does not do even that. It can be shown that almost all the major conflicts of today (and history) arise out of irrational thinking.
you dont seem to understand the term irrational thinking. seems like for you all forms of "thinking" are rational.
you could be logical but need not be rational at the same time. rational thinking is when you believe the human mind can logically comprehend everything on the basics of reason. rational thinking thus comes from reason and the basic scientific principle that every cause has an effect and there is repeatability and time invariance.
if we were to think rationally about the population crisis, we would decide the kill a large number of the weak or at least sterlise them. but we know from irrational thinking that it is not what we want.
every person has an element of irrational thinking in them. some people claim that they are rational though they really arent so 100%. that is why I said "Hypocrisy is the hallmark of most rationalists."
"It can be shown that almost all the major conflicts of today (and history) arise out of irrational thinking."
love too is an irrational one. :)
you could be logical but need not be rational at the same time.
Since you began talking of theism here, I was countering it by stating that thinking is intrinsically rational, as I believe. And I generally equate logical and rational. What is irrational cannot be logical and vice versa, IMHO.
if we were to think rationally about the population crisis, we would decide the kill a large number of the weak or at least sterlise them.
Of course not. What gives you that idea? Rationalism is not divorced from ideas of human rights - in fact, human rights can be viewed as an outcome of free, rational thinking. Which is why human rights, esp women's emancipation and abolition of slavery, came with the ascendance of science (and in general rational thinking) in modern times.
every person has an element of irrational thinking in them. some people claim that they are rational though they really arent so 100%. that is why I said "Hypocrisy is the hallmark of most rationalists."
Absolutely no one in this world can follow only one manner of thinking. Being humans, we are prone to take action often hastily and emotionally, and the outcome is often bad.
love too is an irrational one
Absolutely. I'm not bashing irrational thinking. Love is positive. But not every form of irrational thinking is positive.
Unfortunately, when I see theism today, and throughout, I see it has played primarily a divisive role, a destructive role, a negative role. And that doesnt seem to be changing for the better.
Maybe I'm biased or mistaken, but theism is an irrational form that I find needs either abolition or drastic reform.
Certain irrational choices are guided by love and some by faith in the unseen. While some others are just momentary actions forced by anger, fear or anxiety.
Yeah !
reminds me of a line Asimov said..
Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what's right - Asimov
but your morals bias you in thinking what is right and what is not!
Rational thinking itself is based on beliefs. Cant agree more with the last paragraph of urs.
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