Faced with so many events that we observe every day, the behavior of famous actors made viral by a crisis of outrage, politicians making fools of themselves to get votes and the people who vote for them, manifestations of anger, insults and arguments, nonsensical beliefs that create anxiety and discomfort, and many other events that seem inexplicable, the challenge to be more rational comes to mind. Steven Spinker, a Harvard-based cognitive psychologist, linguist, and popular author specializing in language, mind, and human behavior, sheds light on how to tackle this current problem.

Steven Spinker published a book in 2021 Rationality: what it is, why it is scarce and how to promote it, in which it is proposed and shown that throughout history the use of reason has led to better opportunities in the personal and public spheres, and has been the fundamental driver of social justice and moral progress. How can a species that developed vaccines for COVID-19 in less than a year produce so much fake news, quack cures and conspiracy theories? asks Spinker, to which he responds that when it comes to the big problems of society, we seem to have stopped using a set of processes and tools built up over millennia such as logic, critical thinking, deep knowledge, probability, correlation and causation. Which distinguish us as a species.

Be the light, be the salt

Spinker’s proposal is interesting, for which reason is an indispensable means to achieve a goal, from the search for objective truth, happiness, to professional success and economic prosperity. To be fundamental for the emergence of scientific knowledge, valuable decisions, clear priorities between different goals, solutions for dilemmas and obstacles.

Human groups are more rational when they adopt norms and rules of coexistence…

People are more rational to the extent that they use the processes and tools recognized by Spinker: a, they recognize emotions and stop being carried away by them; b, they think slowly enough to recognize what is truly convenient and necessary for their goals and values; c, they stop using only those information that correspond in advance to what they like; d, expand, verify and deepen reliable data and solid facts; e, they don’t blindly believe perceptions, anecdotes or opinions they hear or circulate on the net.

Spinker is convinced that individual thinking is not enough when seeking the welfare of all, that collective rationality is vital.

in the midst of chaos

Human groups are more rational when they adopt norms and rules of coexistence explicitly designed to promote objectivity and truth; when rationality is a key component of educational curricula and business training programs; when rationality is central to expectations, assessments, decisions and in public and private management; when all institutions and organizations from companies, political parties, journalism, judiciary to healthcare rest on rationality.

False illusions and sirens triumph when rationality is lacking. Being more rational, doubting, is one of the most important challenges we have to face together. (OR)