So, the closest thing I’ve had to a childhood hero is Spock from the 60s Star Trek show. As I’ve grown older and more aware of of the world around me, I’ve realized elevating rationality to a virtue by itself isn’t enough to form a coherent ethos. In fact, I think individuals are actually very bad at rationality. Everyone who puts rationality on a pedestal, from Zizians to SBF to Reddit atheists to Elon Musk to Randian libertarians, is really just forgetting how subjective rationality can be.
I firmly believe that compassion is just as important as rationality when it comes to building strong, honest societies. You need both, at least. We want ethics that are internally consistent, sure, rationality and internal consistency don’t themselves give ethics purpose.
Oh, I agree. I’m very glad they’re not mutually exclusive! But neither imply the other, both are virtues that can be pursued independently, and I believe that pursuing both at the same time is very “good.”
minorkeys@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
A rational one.
BiteSizedZeitGeist@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
So, the closest thing I’ve had to a childhood hero is Spock from the 60s Star Trek show. As I’ve grown older and more aware of of the world around me, I’ve realized elevating rationality to a virtue by itself isn’t enough to form a coherent ethos. In fact, I think individuals are actually very bad at rationality. Everyone who puts rationality on a pedestal, from Zizians to SBF to Reddit atheists to Elon Musk to Randian libertarians, is really just forgetting how subjective rationality can be.
I firmly believe that compassion is just as important as rationality when it comes to building strong, honest societies. You need both, at least. We want ethics that are internally consistent, sure, rationality and internal consistency don’t themselves give ethics purpose.
minorkeys@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
Compassion isn’t irrational and rationality doesn’t require its exclusion.
BiteSizedZeitGeist@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
Oh, I agree. I’m very glad they’re not mutually exclusive! But neither imply the other, both are virtues that can be pursued independently, and I believe that pursuing both at the same time is very “good.”