What is Reason?

This paper considers the central paradox of our time, namely, the triumphs of reason as reflected by the advances in scientific disciplines versus the seemingly inexorable increase in unreason as seen in the growth of authoritarianism and the rejection of science. The roots of this contradiction lie in a circularity in the scientific method itself, which becomes especially prominent in the project of reifying human consciousness. The crux of the problem lies in a misunderstanding of scientific rationality. I shall take another look at what is meant by the “rational process,” differentiate it from formal logic, and emphasize its key dimensions of intuition and insight. Creativity is the essential aspect of the rational process. In our discussion we will argue that creativity, seen as reframing or paradigm change, is fundamentally non-algorithmic. Indeed it often finds productive uses for non-logical factors such as contradiction and ambiguity. Rationality, like science and mathematics, cannot be separated from its intrinsic connection to the human mind. Much of the damage that follows from technological advances stems from reifying human capacities and then imagining that they stand alone, independent of the human capacities that gave birth to them. Keeping human beings at the heart of scientific and technological developments will allow us to reap the benefits of these advancements and avoid the enormous downside that current social and political trends show us may be coming