ddb@mrvax.DEC (DAVID DYER-BENNET MRO1-2/L14 DTN 231-4076) (04/10/84)
This was the title of a course I took back in college. It was in the philosophy department, and was conducted as a seminar. Yes, I should be rational, and so should you. Being rational simply means using all the information and creativity and intelligence you have to attain the goals you want, and to refine those goals. Note that being Christian isn't necessarily "irrational" by my standards; if your experience or logic drives you to christianity as the most effective way to fulfill some part of your needs, then it would be irrational NOT to be Christian (and this is equally true whether Christianity is true or false). To quickly defuse some popular myths about rationality, let me say that ignoring emotions is irrational. Sometimes rationality can lead one to set emotions aside temporarily -- for example, when accepting an immediate loss for an important, but longer term, gain. But rationality as I understand it is not opposed to emotion. Emotion is a reality, a part of the real world, that must be dealt with, not ignored. This time I'm going to remember to sign my message. Really. -- David Dyer-Bennet -- {ihnp4,purdue,shasta,ucbvax}!decwrl!rhea!mrvax!ddb