THE REJECTION OF REASON AND LOGIC

Escape from reason has become popular. It therefore is claimed:

·       I don’t need to be logical. Logic is the hobgoblin of little minds. Freedom requires us to throw aside the shackles of reason.

However, the only reason that they can take such a position is that they too live according to reason, at least when it suites them. Reason has told them to not put their hand on a hot burner or to jump in front of a speeding car. Evidently, they have been willing to comply.

However, when reason does not suite their interests, they reject it. They find that this escape serves as a convenient refuge from truth, especially moral truth, which convicts them of their juvenile behavior. They’ve learned that once they have rejected reason, they can live in any manner they want. This escape then becomes a shield against any censure or feelings of guilt and shame resulting from their contemptible behavior.

Yes, they are “free,” but they have also divorced themselves from life and relationships. Reason instructs us what to believe, think, do and say. It teaches us how to navigate life’s challenges and even how to converse with others. Without reason, we lack any rationale to govern our lives. Consequently, our “freedom is a piece of jelly, which can be smeared in any direction.