Functional Irrationality (1) I. Introduction The view that some forms of irrationality may serve a useful purpose is being increasingly entertained, despite the disquiet it elicits. The reason for the disquiet isn't difficult to discern, for if the view were made good it might threaten the unqualified normative primacy that rationality enjoys in the evaluation of thoughts, beliefs, intentions, decisions and actions. In terms of the predominant "rational explanation" model, reasons both generate
The phrase, “Rational Gaze”, is extremely misinterpreted. As Ayn Rand defines, rationality is the virtue to recognize and accept that one’s only source of knowledge is their ability to reason. Thus, rationality is very unique and individualistic. It has no boundaries. However, rationality is misinterpreted as the disposition to act in unanimity with other human beings, in order to obtain knowledge from nature. This skewed definition of rationality leads to confusion and unattainable anxiety. The
Reason and Irrationality in King Lear In King Lear, Shakespeare deals with the issue of reason and irrationality namely by contrasting the Machiavellian tactics of Goneril, Regan, and Edmund with the love Edgar, Gloster, Lear, and Cordelia experience. In doing so, he makes a very profound statement about the nature of human existence—he condemns reason and natural order while promoting the most nonsensical thing in the world: human love. From the text, I ascertain that Shakespeare believes that
Mormon Irrationality or Magical Thinking I am regularly (such as last night) in conversation with well-educated Mormons who struggle when trying to deal with rational concepts related to things like science, investment strategies, politics and other purely secular matters. And I see in their struggles infections likely attributable to the magical thinking at the heart of what is required these days to be a literally believing Mormon. The conversation in which I participated last night that caused
How Genuine is the Paradox of Irrationality? ABSTRACT: In light of interpreting a paradox of irrationality, vaguely expressed by Donald Davidson in the context of explaining weakness of will, I attempt to show that it contains a significant thesis regarding the cognitive as well as motivational basis of our normative practice. First, an irrational act must involve both a rational element and a non-rational element at its core. Second, irrationality entails free and intentional violation of fundamental
In the play Romeo and Juliet ,by Shakespeare we are constantly bombarded with different meanings of words, contrasts, and characters who are quite irrational. They wish things upon themselves, and when they happen, are astonished. This piece of literature is filled with situations where the character intends one thing to happen, but his results are completely different. Throughout the following paragraphs the reader is to decide if the examples shown display opposite results from the original plan
control may involve a company's ability to predict and control consumer behavior, not the consumer's ability to predict what kind of product or control what kind of service he gets. Ritzer calls such breakdowns "the irrationality of rationalization." Ritzer points out the irrationality of rationality, as all of the supposed benefits of Mcdonaldized systems backfire: waiting in long lines, suspect quality, little or no customer service, little or no customer service, the illusion of large quantities
LIBERTY AND PATERNALISM John Stuart Mill and Gerald Dworkin have distinctly opposing views on legal paternalism in that Mill is adamantly against any form of paternalism, whereas Dworkin believes that there do exist circumstances in which paternalism is justified. Both agree that paternalism is justified when the well being of another person is violated or put at risk. Mill takes on a utilitarian argument, explaining that allowing an individual to exercise his freedom of free choice is more beneficial
He is the symbol of the biblical Esau—exiling his brother (Ralph) and raging because of his hurt over not receiving what he believes to be rightfully his (the title as chief) (Oldsey and Weintraub 94). Jack grows to hate Ralph and leads a man hunt after him. Jack becomes “capable of the most heinous cruelties in the service of [his] pride” just as any man could (Fitzgerald and Kayser 79). In Heart of Darkness, all of the characters serve their pride. Pride in the homeland causes prejudice against
the contrary, the irrationalities that exist are less obvious to the untrained eye. Maximum effeiciency has potential to limit human action and skill. Predicability has potential to limit inovation and creativity. An over exageration on quantity, when concerning calculability, could potentially effect a good or service’s quality. Finally, through the application of nonhuman tecnologies, control is being dehumanized. Ritzer writes, “Rational systems inevitably spawn irrationalities that limit, eventually
titled the "master of the macabre" (Buranelli, 57). One of the aspects in his life with which he struggled was social isolation. He used this as a topic in a number of poems and short stories. Poe's life was also filled with periods of fear and irrationality. He had a very sensitive side when it came to the female gender, any woman he was ever close to died at an early age. Another of his major battles, actually the only one he really lost, was his struggle with alcoholism. Of all these topics, Poe's
In 1984, Winston has to struggles with power through his government named The Party. The Party wanted influence over Oceania and no one else to have it: even over a person’s own body and mind. Everyone must love The Party, and they must never do anything the party denounces. They are recording everyone with telescreens and microphones. Winston hates the party and defies it, yet, his little fire is put out by the Party. They remain in control. Likewise, in Hamlet, Uncle Claudius kills multiple people
Although Girard’s second chapter of The Scapegoat may discuss persecution among certain groups of people because of false perceptions, it is really about people's desires to utilize scapegoats as a way of justification for their misfortunes, but their reasoning for scapegoating is ultimately irrational. In the second chapter of his book, “Stereotypes of Persecution”, Girard offers an explanation. As he himself claims, “they (men) are disconcerted by the immensity of the disaster but never look into
unhealthy decisions that will not lead them to their goal but push them further away. Just like a person may be tempted to cheat their diet and eat a fun-sized candy because “it won’t hurt,” in life people cheat and make things out of lust or irrationality which ends up harming them. In A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry uses dialogues and allusions to show that when ambitions are achieved through irrational decisions and betrayal they can lead to an undesired life. Irrational decisions can
expresses without repression. As soon as the “wire catches,” ( ) or the war commences, and intervenes with the lives of innocent bystanders, the innocence is lost. Furthermore, the hearts of the untainted human beings experience demolition due to the irrationality of war. Before the tragedy of war enters the picture, a heart “goes openly to the street,” ( ) showing the freedom that one possesses until the “wire snares,” ( ) and the sense of innocence disappears. Significantly, as a direct result of the entanglement
Animal spirits are a product of irrational behavior and are a major driving force in the economy. Intuitive then is the notion that animal spirits are also heavily involved in the process of economic boom and bust cycles. This much is straightforward and in reality seems to be the case. Animal spirits, which were initially defined by John Maynard Keynes, characterizes a variety of exogenous variables that could not be accounted for in the mainstream rational economic theories of the time. This definition
the tragedy Othello, he entered into the area of irrational behavior and abnormal psychology. This essay will examine this branch of science as it relates to the play. David Bevington in William Shakespeare: Four Tragedies describes the irrationality and self-destructiveness of the ancient’s behavior: Emilia understands that jealousy is not a rational affliction but a self-induced disease of the mind. Jealous persons, she tells Desdemona, “are not ever jealous for the cause, / But jealous
circulated in culture, becomes a cultural construction. The idea of “nature” or “natural,” I will attempt to argue, refers to a certain set of cultural concepts as constructed through a discourse that is centered away from humans and characterized by irrationality, purity, and vitality. Differently stated, nature functions as a cultural construct of anti-culture, providing an escape from the confines of culture in the sense of civilization, but does not entirely evade the conceptual framework inherent to
assembly line would allow the employer to have greater control over the workers. (Ritzer 1983) “McDonaldization” (Ritzer 1983) is an example of the epitome of rationality. However many times an inevitable byproduct of rationality is irrationality, or the “Irrationality of Rationality” (Ritzer 1983). What this means is from our rational society inefficiencies and unpredictabilities are sometimes produced. And these unpredictabilities and inefficiencies exist even within “McDonaldization”. (Ritzer
America is one of the few countries in the world where the dreams of all are set high on a pedestal. In America, people fall in love with the dream that if a worker strives enough, they can work their way from the bottom to the pinnacle of success. However, in order to reach their pinnacle of success, people tend to make sacrifices that can be detrimental to their well-being. Studies suggest that one must have social interactions in order to exist as a normal human being. Mankind was not created