I get what you mean, but I don’t think it’s well thought out. Sure, a lot of people, maybe most, are just trying to get by, working, finding a little time for leisure, hopefully getting to retire. I think the overall rate of how much people read should be higher, but I understand we don’t all have the time. Now, let’s not forget that some forms of “leisure” are actually more like self-medication, as in drinking or numbing ourselves in other ways. That is “real”, but it’s hardly a goal, hardly a preferential way of life. I’m glad there are some people who are studying human nature and trying to make the world better so there is less of that.
Expanding out from that, reality is, a lot of people don’t have choices at all, they couldn’t read a philosophy book if they wanted to because their parents would disown them or worse. Or they are starving or enslaved. Billions of people are in this category, so it shouldn’t be discounted. And again, we need some people who can think about how to solve these problems. If the solution was prayer, or even communal singing, or Bible study, well, we’ve had a lot of time with those, so why haven’t they produced a solution?
Finally, what else is there besides reason? How can you NOT reason? Whatever emotions or reactions bubble up, then we immediately try to figure out what those are about. Footsteps come up behind us and we have to figure out if they are friendly or not. Everything else kind of flows from those basic instincts.
What is so unreasonable about 'existence"? Some scientists argue that the evolution of life was “necessary”, given the natural resources and enormous time and spatial scales of a planet like earth.
Organic molecules are already being created in cosmic clouds from radiation bombardment and distributed throughout the universe.
Carbon, hydrogen are common elements in space.
Apparently, cosmic clouds are not just the birthplace of stars but also of biochemistry itself. Life itself is but another expression of dynamism.
There are just 4 chemical reactions that may result in the formation of complex polymers and given enough time and environment in cell formation.
Been thinkin’ bout this one. And it comes up on those “latest” post lists.
CC keeps saying, “if we aren’t changing minds, we’re losing.” Which ain’t wrong. The question is, how do you change minds? As oneguy says, most people don’t live in the rational world. Logically, I disagree, but it’s hard to deny the sentiment. People are pushed about by their emotions, even people who say they are rational. People who are good at making logical arguments are also quite good at convincing themselves of something totally irrational, if they have some bias or misunderstanding, or ingrained thinking, or they just missed that day at school.
Worse, presenting facts in a logical manner has been proven to drive people deeper into their belief system and get entrenched in whatever irrational conclusion they started with. You can watch it happen in real-time. Those who value new experiences and are comfortable with change have only a slight advantage.
When I see people who vote differently than me or profess beliefs different from mine but express values like mine, like how fundamentalists are not the “real religion”, or how we should take care of our neighbors, I try to encourage those values. Lately, I also want to turn to my fellow liberals and say “sshhh”, don’t point out their contradictory statements, just agree with the one you like.
Good example of a line of thought that has an appearance of rationality, convincing to anyone who doesn’t give it too much thought or think about the underlying premises.
And theists do better in life than atheists. Not proved !
Some individuals are naturally strict rationalists but they are psychologically unusual. May be, i don’t understand Why should they be ?
In fact, one is not born rational …..
We did not evolve to be strict rationalist.
And we did not evolve not to be !!!
Harari tells that the ability of man to build ideologies, i.e. religions, nationalisms, and so, allowed him to create cooperative structures with all consequences. And gave him an edge over its competitors.
All religion is born out of fear and need. It is through the paths of misguided reason that it enters the human mind. Nietzsche approximately
In fact, myths, animism, religion and magic are the result of the first efforts of humanity to explain rationally the world and to master it.
We can see this in the surviving rituals today. Santa Claus was invented out of Christian stories. It has become a worldwide tradition to keep this secret from young children, to watch them enjoy the fantasy, and to question it and exercise their reasoning abilities as they switch over to being part of the older group, the keepers of the secret.
Nietzsche is a little too prescriptive for me. Too close to calling religion a disease or failing of the person. We need to develop healthier paths to dealing with the enormity of the universe and its deep mysteries. Provide people with something to join instead of only telling them they should leave their culture behind.
Perhaps it’s time to illustrate how the brain actually works. And rest assured it is purely logical as evident by the way the brain processes purely biochemical data with exquisite fidelity in the subconscious maintenance of homeostasis based on genetic information contained in the organism’s DNA.
In biology, homeostasis is the state of steady internal, physical, and chemical conditions maintained by living systems. This is the condition of optimal functioning for the organism and includes many variables, such as body temperature and fluid balance, being kept within certain pre-set limits. Wikipedia
This clearly demonstrates that the brain is capable of exact, albeit subconscious data processing.
As to conscious data processing, the brain is capable of logical data processing but it is susceptible to a variety of evolved and “learned” methods of data processing, i.e. survival “programming” via natural selection.
This condensed lecture by Anil Seth illustrates how the brain “learns” and how it interprets the sensory data received from external dynamical conditions.
I really urge all readers to watch and consider the implications of what Seth demonstrates when he observes that the brain uses “controlled hallucinations” and “best guesses” to make sense of reality.
Yes, Harari (Sapiens) makes good points about how “social constructs” (money, religion, civil rights) gave humans an advantage. But is that truly Darwinian Evolution at play? Is there a gene for that?
