Irrationality of Modern Rationality- The Danger of Thinking Small.

Rational thinking is the default mode of thinking of many aspects of our modern life. It is not the focus of this article to debunk this notion, which might proof impossible. Just like capitalism, rationality is now the lifeblood, the air we breathe. As a principle itself, it makes perfect sense. However, what is proposed here is that, in the wrong doses, it might prove disastrous for us all.

In his book One Dimensional Man, Herbert Marcuse  talked about the irrationality of advanced industrial Society. The irrationality of our lives can be portrayed by these paradoxical existential states. We act rationally but in the grand scheme of irrationality. For example, it is rational for us to go to work to earn a living and have a good life. But let's look at the bigger scheme of things. Our bigger objective is the survival of our children, humanity or even mother earth. On this scale, the rationality may collapse. This may happen when our work may have a detrimental impact on our survival. For example we work in a coal factory that eventually we know is going to eliminate humanity through global warming. So the whole thing that we do is actually not rational.

Let us look at another example. We assume the modern economic model will eventually provide a fairer quality of life for all. But looking at reality, we notice how the modern world failed to eliminate inequality, oppression, squandering, man-made environmental disasters. In some instances, it seems to exacerbate the problems, The latest crisis in Palestine in 2023, shows us that the utopian dream of modern life is simply a mirage, a disguise that masks the horrible side of humanity. We may begin to question the rationality of productivity, efficiency, and scientific discovery. Hitherto we all believe these traits of modern life will lead towards the bigger picture of better life for all. Now we know that this is not true. Knowing all these, yet to continue on our usual path, is irrational. At this level, to uphold rationality in its limited small scope is to insist on doing the wrong thing right. As Russel Ackoff put it: "The more right we insist on doing the wrong thing, the wronger it gets"

Perhaps there's a deeper thesis that might explain this irrationality. It is the inability to see the big picture. To assess the consequence of our choice of actions on the systemic web of existence. We failed to see how things are impacted by our small actions. We think in small packets. The man who drudgingly goes to the coal mine, the manager who diligently pushes for higher ROI of wild and greedy capitalist investment, and the scientist who works on a substance that eventually kills thousands, all might not have the big picture of the consequences of their work. While at the individual level, each is acting on his best moral standing, rationally sound, yet the eventual impact of their actions might prove them to be an accomplice to a sinister plot. Their focus does not extend beyond their personal survival or maybe personal glory. 

Reductionism, left brain dominance, seems to be the modern man's default or preferred version of thinking. These are the drivers behind small thinking habits. The modern civilisation we are in now suffers from this habit of thinking small. Scholars and universities, all gearing towards smaller, highly focused but limited scope of investigations. Even at school levels, education are being imbued with a mechanistic, small-chunk, silo focus kind of approach. This is actually a systemic crisis that would eventually cause modern civilisation to collapse. Resource depletion, environmental degradation, and war, are all but symptoms of this mental crisis. We may strive to achieve the best green technology, we may push for policies on equality and inclusivity, the UN may finally come to its senses that they are abetting genocide, but as long as the mental malady is not addressed, we won't see the future we are aiming for.

ZJ - May 2024