Re: virus: Rationality

Tim Rhodes (proftim@speakeasy.org)
Mon, 24 Feb 1997 09:41:19 -0800 (PST)


On Sun, 23 Feb 1997, David McFadzean wrote:

> A few humans are "post-rational" in that they recognize that "logic" and
> "rationality" are memes, and as such are imperfect descriptions of logic
> and rationality. And that "logic" as a formal system is not and cannot
> be justified logically, but is rather a complex and beautiful set of
> mutually supporting beliefs (a meme-complex) supervenient on our
> pre-rational brain. (Which isn't to say that hypothetical aliens wouldn't
> arrive at the same system of logic given that their pre-rational brains
> evolved in the same physical reality.)
>
> Any resemblance between my 3 levels of rationality and Richard's 3 modes
> of consciousness are purely coincidental :) Well, not really. I would say
> that the post-rational human is a Level-3 that chooses to operate
> rationally.

Very nice. I wish I'd said it.

Prof. Tim