What drives one to be irrational?

[IDMclean]

I have long classified people as either ignorant or intellegent. However recently in attempting to classify knowledge and wisdom I have come to the conclusion that it's not ignorance that bothers me, but rationality.

 

I can't stand irrational people, and often they can't stand me. I think it is due to a difference of paradigm in communication and thought.

 

I have tried to figure out what drives me to be rational, and what drives me to be irrational. So far I have come up empty handed. I can't rationally figure it out, so I thought I would ask for outside experitise.

 

Do you concider yourself a rational or irrational person? What are the benefits and hinderences of your position?

[Jay-qu]

im gonna go out on a limb and say that rationality is relative. Two people can be arguing and both think that the other person is being irrational, how can you say who has the priviledged point of view B)

 

That said clearly I am an irrational person.:lol:

[infamous]

To be quite honest, the answer to this question really depends upon the prevailing circumstances. I would like to think that for the majority of time, I try to be very rational. I must admit however that when provoked, I like many people, tend to allow my ego to overcome logic and at times become irrational. Websters defines irrational as: lacking the power to reason. To be truthful, all but the mentally handicaped have the power to reason. The problem arises when we refuse to reason because we have been insulted or attacked by someone whom we have been dealing with. Maybe a better word would be; obstinate rather than irrational. At any rate. my wife says to me quite often; Why do you have to analyze everything? So maybe I could define myself more accurately as analytical??? ...................Infy

[arkain101]

I think this comes down to the truth basic.

 

I think how we behave or rationalize is dependent on a few things, possibly 2 basics.

 

One is our choice that we make. Our selfishness. How we decide to act to others. For example, a girl who is having her menstral cycle can be known to be hard to reason with, or irrational. They may be like this towards everyone in the household. However when these irrational women are confronted with someone like a police officer after being pulled over for slightly speeding, they may suddenly become little angles.

 

Now I am sorry girls for the example. But the point is to show that if we have control over ourselves than we are making decisions on how rational we may be. If we arent out murdering people or robbing banks because we dont want to but we often say we lose control while being completely irrational in social situations with family and friends, we know that we are making an excuse. And as I said we are being selfish because we care decide that what we feel is all that matters, untill of course the consequences are beyond what we want to deal with.

 

The second part to irrationality is the uncontrolable part.

The genetic make up of who you are may play a role in how difficult it is for you to remain rational. Some people are much more emotional than others. The emotional parts of us run part of the show in how we behave, and its a battle to control this at times. So some may have a stronger chemical reaction occuring that may take over more of there self control than in others.

 

 

So we have the controlable factor of behavior and selfeshness that makes up your rationality by the choices we make, and the uncontrollable factor which may force which way we turn the wheel in the choices of option.

 

I am very rational. I do not put myself before many other people. What I recieve is not important, unless I desire more temporary instant satisfaction or gratification.

 

If I want long term permanent success and balance, then it is required that I avoid all temptations of selfish needs, and look towards the goal of the situation that has become irrational, and try to forget the details at hand and focus on the larger picture.

[InfiniteNow]

However when these irrational women are confronted with someone like a police officer after being pulled over for slightly speeding, they may suddenly become little angles.

Not to go off on a tangent (:)), but did you perhaps mean obtuse angles? :hihi:

 

 

Angelically,

:Glasses:

[arkain101]

For example if you get in a fight with a family member.

 

Are you having a fight with them aimed at reaching the goal of ending the relationship? or are you going through all this irrational fighting in order to get a mutual goal reached.

 

If your intentions are never to end the relationship, then it is pointless to behave in ways that aim exactly in that direction.

 

Some situations can be very difficult to remain rational, but the possibility is always there for person(s) to look at which direction they both want in their relationship (of all the varying kinds) and function in a manner that contributes to that direction.

[arkain101]

Not to go off on a tangent (:hihi:), but did you perhaps mean obtuse angles? :hihi:

 

 

Angelically,

:Glasses:

 

 

Oh right, I guess I meant to say "Little a-cute angles" :) :lol:

 

Angelsss:doh:

[HydrogenBond]

Rational and irrational are somewhat dependant on which side of the brain one is using. If one makes more use of the left side it will keep one more rational. The use of the right side of the brain is often more intuitive and emotional. Although both work together, one is usually outputting from one side or the other with the ego reinforcing that side.

 

The other constraint is the type of emotional potential that is in the brain. If one is angry, this induced neural chemical environment, or brain potential, will make it harder to be fully rational since both sides of the brain will be used with the ego not able to stay just in the left. Reason works the best when the brain potential is induced by calm emotions.

 

Mr Spock was very cool and collect, without emotions, allowing him to stay purely rational. Captain Kirk could calm himself when a rational command decision needed to be make, but he would also allow his emotions to get worked up when an "illogical", or intuitive choice needed to be made. In this case, the right hemisphere is spatial or 3-D allowing an illogical decision that is higher than pure reason, i.e, rational is 2-D or cause and affect. Captain Kirk also liked the ladies. This often caused his brain potential to be defined by his desire. This irrational brain potential would often get him in trouble, until he began to think with his upper brain, using a more rational brain potential.

[hallenrm]

Rationality or irrationality depens on the span of reality perceived by an individual in the light of the logic s/he is most comfortable with. There is no absolute rationality, and the rationality of a person can, and does, change with time, is s/he chooses to learn throughout the life!

 

What then is in question?

 

:Glasses:

[Kriminal99]

Irrational people are really being rational according to a different rationale, you just don't understand the rationality behind their actions and neither do they.

 

:shrug:

[IDMclean]

Well that sounds to me something like Law and Chaos.

 

So then are they being chaoticly ordered?

 

As for Charlie's comment, I would specify the question down to why is it that an individual chooses chaos, over order? On a whole. Why choose not to know why it is that you reason something the way you do? Why not understand what it is that you do and say?

[hallenrm]

On a whole. Why choose not to know why it is that you reason something the way you do? Why not understand what it is that you do and say?

 

Deae KAC, my only reservation about your above statement is, that it implies that there is an objective reality, towards which some people (call them irrational) fail to strive for.

 

Is it really the case? Is there an objective reality? Think, I think you will see what I am hinting at :)

[IDMclean]

I do see what your hitting at, but I have already made my position known regarding the world and reality. In the thread on belief.

 

I am placing myself on the side of an Objective universe. I understand the subjective universe stand point, but I think it to be malformed if not wrong.

 

I am and I exist, if I can exist then so must others. If I exist as a objective substance with a subjective viewpoint, then so must it be possible for others. Clearly the evidence is infavor of this particular point of view, In my humble opinion.

[Ananke]

I think Infamous nailed it quite well. Irrationality is the result of allowing the go to overcome your reason, causing you to confuse what you desire with what is rational. For my own part, I am not prone to such a failing. Even when enraged, I act to destroy or remove the source of my anger in an entierly rational and clinical manner.

[HydrogenBond]

Irrationality occurs compulsively, at an unconscious level, rather than at a conscious level. It is part of the deeper layers of the human psyche. These are very old layers. Mythology attempted to provide a rational order to these irrational phenomena. The gods of mythology were explanations for such irrational behavior. For example, Mars was the god of war, the irrationality of which could drive men to kill and die. Venus was the goddess of love and lust that could drive humans to joy and dispair.

 

The ancients saw their gods running these irrational processes. Although irrational by modern standards, this belief system gave then an objectivty to these irrational outbursts so they could see them as existing apart from the ego. In that respect, the ancient were more sophisiticated than many modern humans who can't see irrationality as existing apart from the ego, i.e, a secondary output affect. This secondary affect is evident as explained by Ananke, who can separate from the anger, and then alter the brain potential with reason so it fades away.

[motherengine]

here's to a revolution of reality.

[InfiniteNow]

Per the thread question, "What drives one to be irrational?"

 

When the influence of the reptilian brain within us overcomes the negating influence of the prefrontal cortex... i.e. - Emotion