Rationality

Rationality explores the concept of ration as the pylon of all human progress and how it sets us apart from all other species, helping us evolve and developing societal layers, rules of conduct, and moral grounds for all our endeavors in life.

In life, we’re all trying to get as close as possible to the absolute truth. Whether we’re talking about personal aspirations, the meaning of life, or any other end goal whatsoever, we have a tendency to look for a perfect state of being. Rationality helps us to get closer to this state of existence, but since we’re all flawed individuals, we still have a long way to go till we reach that point.

For this reason, institutions were created. They help us be more objective and more rational when we stray from the right path, or so it should be. If all humans were perfect, meaning less self-absorbed, more considerate of their neighbors, and without the tendency to destroy everything for their personal well-being, institutions wouldn’t exist. Since we’re not built that way, they help us coexist in peace and be more objective.

In every field, institutions find their way into our lives. Take the educational system as an example. Anonymous peer reviews help people achieve goals based on merit by eliminating subjectivity. In the public sphere, they help us share opinions freely. In law, they help us achieve justice. Therefore, in our search for the absolute truth and a flawless way of living, institutions help us stay on track.

Institutions help us live in peace and live a better life. But how does it all work out in fact? We comply with them and the moral principles that guide us because it is rational. As humans, we have two definitory characteristics: we are social animals and we always have our best interests at heart. If thrown into nature one day with no rules of conduct, everyone would look after their own survival It’s just the way we’re programmed to function, so there’s nothing wrong with that. Still, we’ve managed to evolve into more than that, as we have rules to follow and consequences to face now. Again, they’re anchored in rationality. If we see that others are being punished for not respecting the rules of conduct, we are less likely to repeat their mistakes. What’s also rational is to live in a society, because at the end of the day, it benefits us. We need social interactions to function, and so we’re doing ourselves a favor as well. Still, to live in a society implies being moral, considerate, and having empathy, so we do just that. Therefore, we choose to be moral beings because it is the…