X-Message-Number: 10282
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 09:32:28 -0700
From: Rand Simberg <>
Subject: Virtual of rationality

Timur Rozenfeld says that:

>Values don't need to be rational, but if you value your life 
>and wish to enhance it, it is in your interest that they be 
>rational. 

Not necessarily.  That depends on what constitutes "enhancing" your life.
Again, this is a subjective judgement, not an objective one.

>As for rationality being an axiom, I don't think so.

If it isn't, then it can only be derived from something else that is.  The
world rests on the back of a turtle, but there's turtles all the way down
<g>.  At some point, you have to make an unprovable assumption.

>The virtue of rationality can clearly be shown to enhance your 
>life, 

Not at all, until you've defined "enhance" clearly, and this (like any
other word) cannot be done nonaxiomatically.

You gotta have faith in somethin'...
************************************************************************
  * 310 372-7963 (CA) 307 739-1296 (Jackson Hole)  
interglobal space lines  * 307 733-1391 (Fax) http://www.interglobal.org 

"Extraordinary launch vehicles require extraordinary markets..."

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=10282