Rationality is bullshit — Part 2
Is it possible to categorize our own choices, decisions and behaviours as rational or irrational? Or is the notion of rationality in this respect no more than a bullshit term?
The previous article identified several inherent problems with using rationality as an external criterion to evaluate other people’s choices or behaviour. It is widely misused as a normative tool to distinguish intelligent from dumb by labelling choices and behaviour as one or the other, in a highly subjective manner. Its strong association with the kind of reasoning that can only occur in sophisticated brains is also problematic: millions of years of evolution show that organisms without brains or nervous systems have successfully navigated tough conditions, making choices and behaving to meet their main goals (surviving and passing on their genes), ultimately leading to our existence. Like our ancestors, we can make choices and behave in ways that serve our goals without necessarily engaging in complex reasoning (insisting it is required for rationality is unnecessarily anthropocentric). Finally, we cannot judge someone else’s choices and behaviour without knowing their goals and preferences.
