Rationality is uncool. Here’s how to deal with it.

Has being rational become uncool? In a world filled with hidden agendas, fake news and cancel culture, it sometimes feels like it. Just try engaging in any debate on social media, and see what happens. So why do we act irrationally, allow ourselves to be influenced by poor arguments, and even to be led by bad leaders?

I recently read Steven Pinker’s book ‘Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters’ – and it seems the short answer to the above question is that we simply aren’t geared to operate in an environment that’s only rational.

Pinker is a Harvard cognitive psychologist who has written several books, and he quickly makes it clear that ‘none of us, thinking alone, is rational enough to consistently come to sound conclusions: rationality emerges from a community of reasoners who spot each other’s fallacies.’ But here’s the problem: our community operates within a context of emotions, conflicts of interests, hidden agendas and selfish ambition.???

Fact is, we’re all biased.

We tend to have an inflated view of our own competence, contribution, specialness or value-add in the workplace and society. At the same time, we’re overly negative about how our communities – that is, our teams at work, our industry and society - is performing.

That’s why we have to put a greater premium than ever on data and facts. We must adjust our normal information diet to include sources that include the bigger statistical picture.

We live in a world of outrage.

We see every day how outrage is fanned and used to achieve agendas, even though there’s no actual evidence to support them. Instead of looking for the facts, we draw our own impressions and resort to gut-feel responses.

What we need is cool heads. Thoughtful, responsible and balanced leadership can turn outrage into responsible reform. We all have to try and put a lid on outsized and irrational reactions.

This demands some critical thinking.

Look at any social media debate, and it’s filled with logical fallacies. The straw man. Whataboutism. Ad hominem. Falsely asserting your authority to be right. How do we counter this??How do we use persuasion to move from only (legitimate) logic to sound reasoning?

We’ve got to realise that sometimes rational irrationality is okay. There are times when relationships and reputations mean more than being right.?When solidarity means more than persuasion.?You don’t always have to make sense, especially if others aren’t being rational.?

I love Pinker’s term, ‘adversarial collaboration’, which basically says you don’t have to agree on everything to take smart decisions together. This is key in the modern workplace.

Ultimately, there’s value in stepping away from what everyone knows to move into pure discomfort. That’s where the ‘new’ is born. If you have too many people agreeing, the chances are that you’re not onto something that’s ground-breaking. A lot of great innovation didn’t make sense at the time. Real innovators are off the charts.

Has rationality really become uncool? ?Should we pursue more rational irrationality or not? I’d love to hear your thoughts.