Kristin
Kristin
Aug 24, 2017 · 2 min read

I understand his point, and I also understand yours (I think!). I probably failed to properly explain my position; a common condition of mine.

I agree that heuristics are valuable, even essential, in a complex system. In a related sense, deontologies are essential because we can only apply consequentialism to a limited degree. For example, I value the rule of freedom of speech because the consequences of restricted speech are not obvious (in the moment).

I’ll admit that a superstition against restricted speech would appeal to me right now. But this is yet another problem with superstitions — they can unpredictably lack durability. There are reasons that the founding fathers established freedom of speech; there are reasons the ACLU fights for that civil liberty. And yet, if we just think it is a silly rule, an artifact of the past, a silly superstition, we might throw it out. If we can keep the reasons it was put into place top of mind, we can re-assess those reasons in modern times. And I suspect we’d find those reasons compelling.

Suggesting that superstitions are rational because they may improve outcomes strikes me as the “argumentum ad consequentiam” fallacy. Yes, superstitions may sometimes produce good outcomes — but that doesn’t mean they are rational.

Now, Utilitarianism is rational, and attempts to optimize for the outcome. A Utilitarian could hypothetically establish a superstition on a rational basis (i.e. is established ‘based on or in accordance with reason or logic’). But the having of that superstition would not be rational (i.e. is not ‘based on or in accordance with reason or logic’, by lacking the a priori reasoning).

To get practical, I’m arguing that rationality should permeate beyond the establishment of a practice and into the understanding of that practice. If people know why they should do something, they’ll be more judicious about it — when to keep doing it, when to stop doing it, when to adjust the rule/method, how to advocate for it, how to adjust it based on reasonable critiques.

If a superstition is a scalar, a rational position is a vector. The latter contains essential information for moving through time and space. While the former may provide utility in the short-term, it lacks the critical information necessary to handle changing times and changing circumstances.

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    Kristin

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    Kristin

    Founder of www.rationally.io, believer in compassion via nonviolence and reason.