Social cohesion is one of the enemies of rationality.
It’s not necessarily so in that it’s not always opposed to it, but it is incompatible with the mechanisms that bring it about and permit it to error-correct. It tends to reinforce error. When it happens to reinforce correctness, it’s not needed, and when it doesn’t, it makes it significantly harder to correct the errors.
“When it happens to reinforce correctness, it’s not needed”
Can you elaborate?
I’ll note that rationality isn’t an end. My ideal world state would involve a healthy serving of both rationality and social cohesion. There are many situations in which these forces work in tandem and many where they’re at odds.
A perfect example is this site. There are rules the community follows to maintain a certain level of social cohesion, which in turn aides us in the pursuit of rationality. Or are the rules not needed?
It’s demonstrated by the fact that you can up/down vote and report anyone’s posts, and that you need a certain number of upvotes to write articles. This is a method of policing the discourse on the site so that social cohesion doesn’t break down to an extent which impairs our discussion. These mechanisms “reinforce correctness,” in your terms. So I’ll ask again, can we do away with them?
I don’t think humanity follows obviously from rationality, which is what I meant about rationality being a means rather than an end.
There are rules the community follows to maintain a certain level of social cohesion, which in turn aides us in the pursuit of rationality.
How is that demonstrated?
Those rules are rarely discussed outright, at least not comprehensively.
I’m pretty sure if I started posting half of my comments in pig-Latin or French or something, for no apparent reason, and refused to explain or stop, I’d be asked to leave fairly quickly, though. That all communication will be in plain English unless there’s a reason for it not to be is one example. I’m sure there are others.
Social cohesion is one of the enemies of rationality.
It’s not necessarily so in that it’s not always opposed to it, but it is incompatible with the mechanisms that bring it about and permit it to error-correct. It tends to reinforce error. When it happens to reinforce correctness, it’s not needed, and when it doesn’t, it makes it significantly harder to correct the errors.
“When it happens to reinforce correctness, it’s not needed”
Can you elaborate?
I’ll note that rationality isn’t an end. My ideal world state would involve a healthy serving of both rationality and social cohesion. There are many situations in which these forces work in tandem and many where they’re at odds.
A perfect example is this site. There are rules the community follows to maintain a certain level of social cohesion, which in turn aides us in the pursuit of rationality. Or are the rules not needed?
Why can’t it be?
How is that demonstrated?
It’s demonstrated by the fact that you can up/down vote and report anyone’s posts, and that you need a certain number of upvotes to write articles. This is a method of policing the discourse on the site so that social cohesion doesn’t break down to an extent which impairs our discussion. These mechanisms “reinforce correctness,” in your terms. So I’ll ask again, can we do away with them?
I don’t think humanity follows obviously from rationality, which is what I meant about rationality being a means rather than an end.
You’re assuming a fact not in evidence.
So you tell me what you think they’re for, then.
Those rules are rarely discussed outright, at least not comprehensively.
I’m pretty sure if I started posting half of my comments in pig-Latin or French or something, for no apparent reason, and refused to explain or stop, I’d be asked to leave fairly quickly, though. That all communication will be in plain English unless there’s a reason for it not to be is one example. I’m sure there are others.