Rationality, Sentiment and Habit

Natural philosophers have recognized that humans make decisions based on sentiment and habit more than rationality. The irony is that sentiment and habit are both in a way more rational than rationality. Sentiment is a kind of pattern matching technique. We look at a situation in a holistic way and make a decision based on what kind of situation this seems to be. Habit is a kind of evolutionary approach to decision making. We chose options that have survived the test of time.

The irony is rooted in the fact that rationality is not just about pursuing the best decision, but pursuing it through analysis. Analysis is a dangerous technique in complex situations because it involves radically simplifying the problem. The danger is amplified because the solution to the simplified problem may be very clear and hence pursued with great conviction.

This is why it is so important we value humility and ambiguity and doubt. We must also place sentiment and habit as rational tools along with analysis.

Recommending an approach that emphasizes the limits of our power to act in the world will never be as easy a sell as an approach that suggests we can determine the best solutions with a high degree of certainty. But then, we've long known the devil has the best tunes. Awareness that the devil has the best tunes is again a reminder of the virtues of humility, ambiguity and doubt.