Comment by kazinator | Hacker News Reader

Comment by kazinator | Hacker News Reader

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> The dichotomy between reason and emotion is a cultural construct, and neither grounded in neuroscience nor in logic.

Hard disagree with part of this. Reason is an intellectual construct, that has a basis in logic. (Neuroscience not finding a division: sure. Just like electrical engineering doesn't see a dichotomy between Microsoft Word and Firefox.)

Reasoning isn't separated from emotion because reasoning needs inputs. Some inputs are secondary: the result of other reasoning. Some are non-negotiable facts from the world. But some primary inputs that go into reasoning are determined by values and desires. E.g. "I feel it would be nice obtain such and such a result in the world" (hard reasoning on how to get it ensues).

I don’t have the link right now, but I recall a study of some sort that examined brain activity and decision making. The “emotion” part lit up first, then the “reasoning” part.

Essentially, we make decisions based on emotion, then come up with an explanation for the decision that was already made. We form a memory that says the explanation was why we made the decision, but it was actually the emotion. In other words, by default, we’re rationalizing, not rational.

I think the issue is precisely the rationalising part.

Let's assume I have pre-decided something: if the fruit weighs over 100g, I'll buy it, otherwise I won't.

I can then measure and find out. My emotions -- based on looking at the fruit -- may mislead me here.

Now what about "likely to weigh more than 100g"?

Here it's really easy to lie to yourself.

But if you set conditions for what counts as likely before you know what they'll be used for, and you stick to them, you can make a decision based on reason.

There is no way to decide 100g is the threshold divorced from emotion, however -- unless it's rationally derived from something else emotionally based.

The "rationalisation" bit comes from us not making decisions for the reasons we think we are -- or in the way we claim to be.

To quote a 17c vulgarity, reason is a whore.

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