Episodes of extreme irrationality
The Evils of Irrationality
Habit thinking (or the SELF) is the problem. Unchecked, it could result in the end of civilization.
If a person does not have the capacity to reason, they think only with their SELF. The SELF is not entirely static. It can learn, but it does so through either the words of others or through a process called operant conditioning.
Both can have serious consequences. When people cannot think for themselves, they will be prone to insane behavior at the direction of others:
Jonestown
Nazism
Or, if you will, Auschwitz–Birkenau (estimated 1,100,000 deaths) …
Humanity must use reason and think for themselves. But, as the two historical events above illustrate, so often, they do not. Also fear, pride, greed, anger, etc. are powerful motivators. A person’s capacity to reason must be sufficiently developed to blunt them.
Then there is operant conditioning. It enables individuals to pursue failed or failing strategies. So long as there is a benefit to the person, say for example making them feel like they are behaving virtuously, they will ignore other negative results in order to continue with the failure.
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