Can reason ever become... erm... "diseased"?

[TarkanAttila]

I am a big, big advocate of reason, logic, critical thinking, and common sense. I consider myself to be of… well, sound mind might be pushing it. But I do think I have, somehow, very good logic and critical thinking skills. For which I thank the Catholic radio stations, EWTN, God, and my dad. (I assume that after he died he’s been pushing me to greater logic, and therefore to be a better Christian.)

But can logic or reason become what I heard Melinda Selmys says was “diseased”? What does “diseased” reason look like?

I can think of a couple of diseases of reason: over-scepticism, and fideism. Over-scepticism is a deficiency of due faith in the senses, in data, in experience, etc. It can result in nihilism, solipsism, and other tragic diseases of philosophy. On the other hand fideism is a sort of gullibility that can be very dangerous, as we all know.

Is there any other way reason can be abused or misused or otherwise “diseased”?

How do you treat abused reason?

 

[GEddie]

I am a big, big advocate of reason, logic, critical thinking, and common sense. I consider myself to be of… well, sound mind might be pushing it. But I do think I have, somehow, very good logic and critical thinking skills. For which I thank the Catholic radio stations, EWTN, God, and my dad. (I assume that after he died he’s been pushing me to greater logic, and therefore to be a better Christian.)

But can logic or reason become what I heard Melinda Selmys says was “diseased”? What does “diseased” reason look like?

I can think of a couple of diseases of reason: over-scepticism, and fideism. Over-scepticism is a deficiency of due faith in the senses, in data, in experience, etc. It can result in nihilism, solipsism, and other tragic diseases of philosophy. On the other hand fideism is a sort of gullibility that can be very dangerous, as we all know.

Is there any other way reason can be abused or misused or otherwise “diseased”?

How do you treat abused reason?

Good question.

Our rational mind can become irrational by becoming blinded to The irrationality already within it. Irrationality is part of our being, we cannot and should not try to get rid of it, but we need to acknowledge and overcome it.

I don’t know how to answer your second question.

ICXC NIKA.

 

[phil_at_dayboro]

Is to much navel. Gazing inappropriate ?
Should we let things unfold by themselves without becomes obsessed with outcomes ?