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Quote by: Jack Is reason just as unsatisfactory a framework for thinking as theism and superstition?

Plenty of people want you to believe that so you will give them equal credibility.

But it isn't true. Here's why ...

"Reality" is everything that exists.

Reality exists outside of anyone's consciousness.

Therefore, reality is objective (not subjective).

"Logic" is a set of rules that are used to apply and test ideas in the real world (reality).

The rules of logic are based on the behavior of matter and energy in reality.

Therefore, the rules of logic are objective (a set of rules for testing ideas in an objective world).

"Reason" is that mental process we humans use in evaluating the truth of an idea, and we do so by applying logic.

Therefore, reason is itself objective.

All forms of mysticism (religion, crystal ball gazing, etc.) are not.

Most people however, are not consciously aware of this, and that is why it can *seem* contradictory.

Therefore ...

1: Reason stands against values and morals Shaping a moral and humane world requires more than reason...

Reason is the *only* way one can figure out *objective* morality.

2: No one actually uses reason If we had to think logically about everything we did, we’d never do anything at all...

Everybody uses reason every day. For *most* people though, it is only done at the subconscious level.

If you are feeling hungry, you do not pray to the gods to drop food in your lap. No, you get your ass off the couch and go to the fridge or the store.

If you want healthy teeth, you do not pull out your tarot cards to find out if a fire-breathing dragon is next to a magic wizard of healthy teeth. No, you brush your teeth.

Everybody uses reason every day without thinking about it.

It's when people start to ponder more difficult ideas that they often abandon their own ability to use reason.

3: I hear "reason", I see lies Science is routinely co-opted by governments and corporations to subvert people’s ability to make their own decisions...

Yes, of course, because people who operate governments and corporations often abandon their own abilities to use reason. More precisely: they do use reason to arrive at ideas that they think will benefit themselves, but they stop there and do not consider at what expense it will be to others and, ultimately, themselves as well.

Notice: The person does not say science *itself* does not use reason, only that it can be co-opted (reason can be abandoned) when others use political power to corrupt the scientist.

4: Reason excludes creativity and intuition Reason is lost without art...

Using reason to test the objective truth of ideas does not mean that artistic expression is impossible.

It's just that artistic expression isn't a means of testing the truth of ideas, which are objective. Rather, it's a means of expressing personal preferences, which are subjective.

5: Whose reason is it anyway? Real people don’t live their lives according to cold rationality...

Same as #2 above (everybody uses reason every day).

6: Reason destroys itself Even in formal mathematics, reason breaks its own rules...

There are no contradictions in reality. Scientists understand this.

If you have an idea and there seems to be a contradiction when tested against reality, then your idea is faulty in some way. Your idea must yield to reality; reality does not yield to your idea.

7: Reason is just another faith Unconditional reliance on a single authority is never sensible...

Reason does not rely on a single authority any more than does science.

Faith is belief in the *absence of* evidence.

Reason is the means of determining truth *based on* evidence.