Rationality...

[fajrdrako]

Past and present religious atrocities have occurred not because we are evil, but because it is a fact of nature that the human species is, biologically, only partly rational. Evolution has meant that our prefrontal lobes are too small, our adrenal glands are too big, and our reproductive organs apparently designed by a committee; a recipe which, alone or in combination, is very certain to lead to some unhappiness and disorder. - Christopher Hitchens, God Is Not Great, p. 8.

Rephrased:

Funny little human brains. How do you get around in those things? - The Doctor, in Doctor Who, "The Doctor Dances" by Steven Moffat

Comments

[nina-ds.livejournal.com]

It's such a shame Christopher Hitchens is a vile human being. He's not always wrong-headed.

Love the comparison!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yes - it struck me as rather apropos!

I don't know anything about Hitchens as a human being or anything else - I vaguely associate him with 18th century histories. Not entirely sure I'm not confusing him with someone else.

[nina-ds.livejournal.com]

He's all over British television as a literary/cultural pundit, but he also dabbles in politics. He is vain beyond belief and not nearly as witty as he thinks he is (he's a better writer, even if it often gets overwrought), and he's a neocon of the most superior type - kind of like William Kristol without the charm. Sigh. But as a neocon, he's also got this entire liberal philosophical background at his fingertips, and occasionally comes out with sensible things like this. He is, basically, an academic, of the sheltered, not-living-in-the-real-world type which is passé in itself. It's not so much his political leanings as his unswerving sense that he's so much better than anyone else that tends to get to me.

But, yes, we're not exactly designed for rationality. But when we do it right, in groups that can encourage the better behaviour, we're not so bad.

Er...not that you'd really be able to tell it recently. I remember there being this little bubble of hope in the early 1990s, with the fall of the Berlin Wall, the break-up of the Soviet Union, and the abolishment of apartheid. It was as if we were going to make that Childhood's End leap right on schedule. And then Bosnia, and pffft, off to the races.

Yes, I'm tired and rambling. Shutting up now!

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

Yup, although he's now based mainly in the US. He's also a heavy drinker, which can affect his rhetorical style. He's one of those people who used to be on the Left, but then came over all Neocon Right on many issues (his brother Peter is more old-style Right), and seems to enjoy poking sticks at the people whoused to be his friends. However, he's right about religion.

I remember there being this little bubble of hope in the early 1990s, with the fall of the Berlin Wall, the break-up of the Soviet Union, and the abolishment of apartheid. It was as if we were going to make that Childhood's End leap right on schedule. And then Bosnia, and pffft, off to the races.

Yes! I remember it well, too. It didn't help that Cold War logic had meant that the West had encouraged the wrong, barking-religious side in Afghanistan, which has contributed to the current mess with terrorism.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

He's also a heavy drinker

I hate that.

he's right about religion

I would agree, from what I've read or heard.

The Cold War did a lot of harm in all directions, but I don't think we're doing any better now. Same battles, different alignments.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

You paint a rather vivid picture of him. Sounds to me like a formerly idealistic baby boomer turned bitter. I looked him up on Wikipedia; interesting; for some reason I'd thought he was always American. I guess I wasn't paying much attention. (And no, I wasn't.) Neocons annoy me. They seem like people who should know better.

Bubbles of hope are good until they burst. There are always bubbles of hope, depending where you look. But sometiems you have to look hard... this morning on the bus I glanced over at a newspaper a woman was reading. I could only see two of the headlines but one said Nine dead in U.S. mall shooting and Woman dies in snowbank and I just thought - is the news never anything but depressing?

Not that I'd want them only to report the Pollyanna stuff. But. Grump.

[duncanmac.livejournal.com]

This is why Greek mythology speaks of Cassandra (originally Kassandra) and the curse that Apollo placed on her. Somehow, I think of Cassandra as being the patron saint of newspaper reporting. :-) [There's a reason why the French say "No news is good news", no?]

As for criticisms of religion -- I am pretty familiar with that already. All I will say is that I do *not* agree, but theocrats of all kinds (and faiths) do make a compelling argument for atheism far too many times.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I think of Cassandra as being the patron saint of newspaper reporting.

She probably should be, if she isn't.

There's a reason why the French say "No news is good news", no?

The French say that? I thought everybody said that!

[duncanmac.livejournal.com]

Everybody may say it now, but it was the French ("Pas de nouvelles, bonnes nouvelles") who first came up with the phrase, I believe.

[auriaephiala.livejournal.com]

Look at the result of the last election for Mayor in Ottawa, for example. Rational thought -- hah!

Cynically, I have to say that one really good way not to convince someone is to assume they're thinking rationally. Appealing to their self-interest, their sense of humour, their fear, their wish to get something done as easily as possible -- all much better.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Look at the result of the last election for Mayor in Ottawa, for example

Shudder. I'd rather not.

Appealing to their self-interest, their sense of humour, their fear, their wish to get something done as easily as possible -- all much better.

Always true. Not always easy.

[duncanmac.livejournal.com]

I observed much the same shortly after it happened (http://duncanmac.livejournal.com/8357.html). Another comment I had (on the LRT mess (http://duncanmac.livejournal.com/9820.html)) is equally apropos. (And no, I'm not trying to vain; I'm just not in the mood to revisit and re-type all that stuff.)

[chatona.livejournal.com]

Your apt way of rephrasing just made me giggle. Thanks for that :D

Also? So very true.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

You're welcome for the smile. When I read the one quote, I thought of the other...

And yes: Only too true. For better or worse.

[duncanmac.livejournal.com]

Only too true. For better or worse.

That makes me think of two things: Lynn Johnston's comic strip "For Better or for Worse" as well as a Mad magazine parody (related to it?) titled "Mad: for better or verse." Some of the observations she has of her children growing up are singularly apropos -- they reminded me of conflicts that I had with my sister as well.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I think most families have similar patterns - with variations. Because people are like that. Isn't Lynn Johnston into the next generation yet?

[duncanmac.livejournal.com]

I think she is ... but I am not up to date with her stuff (and haven't been for years). :-(

[wijsgeer.livejournal.com]

so, genemodification?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Sounds good to me!

Or... consciousness raising?

Or... self-awareness?

Brains can be made to learn. Is there a way to jumpstart the evolving process, make it work better?

To paraphrase Gandhi...

[the-blue-fenix.livejournal.com]

Q. What do you think of human rationality?

A. I think it would be a good idea.

Re: To paraphrase Gandhi...

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Oh, absolutely!

[duncanmac.livejournal.com]

There are times that I would like to go to the nearest commercial printing press and ask its proprietor: How many trees have you slaughtered just to print sales drivel that is dumped into mailboxes in every city in North America every weekday? (Does the word WASTE come to mind? Or just PROPAGANDA?)

And yes, I do sometimes believe that Dr. Josef Goebbels is the patron saint of all advertisers.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

My mailbox, and that of the several dozen other people in my building, is almost daily filled with flyers and papers that just get dumped directly into the trash so conveniently put by the mailboxes for just that reason. Is this a market economy? Is this preserving the environment? It's a waste of time and energy and resources and everything else. It's so totally unproductive. Yes, it's nice to know the local pizza places deliver, but do we need the fliers every day?