The Necessity of Rational Thinking

clipped from www.faithfreedom.org Julian Baggini, in “A walk on the dark side?”, wrote: We are not purely rational. It is not just that we are often in the grip of irrational or non–rational forces and desires, it is that our thinking is itself infused with emotion. These feelings shape our thought, often without us realizing it… I am also aware that we do not approach such rational discussions with blank, open minds. We come to them with prejudices, fears and commitments. Some of these are not founded on reason and that confers on them a certain immunity to the power of rational argumentation… This is important because such associations can interfere with clear thinking, leading us to prejudge issues and reject arguments without good grounds.