Reason Seen More as Weapon Than Path to Truth

[Giray Khan the Brave]

Hi all,

Just saw this article on the New York Times website. Even if it's not suitable for SOTT it's still food for thought: _http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/15/arts/people-argue-just-to-win-scholars-assert.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

"For centuries thinkers have assumed that the uniquely human capacity for reasoning has existed to let people reach beyond mere perception and reflex in the search for truth. Rationality allowed a solitary thinker to blaze a path to philosophical, moral and scientific enlightenment. Now some researchers are suggesting that reason evolved for a completely different purpose: to win arguments."

This theory sounds very plausible to me as it puts into words a notion or an intimation that I have always had but was unable to formulate into a coherent sentence, let alone a full article. However, now I have the words in front of me, I will go slightly beyond the article and say that what the article says is a novel theory is actually an extremely advanced practical technique that COINTELPRO uses daily against us. One that 'they' have honed into such a precise science that they can convince whole populations to walk off a cliff.

Reason as a weapon, indeed!

 

[agni]

Reason for the sake of winning arguments or for manipulation purposes is not reason at all, but rather an abesense of reason. In a hands of manipulative persons anything can be a weapon.

 

[Richs]

Now some researchers are suggesting that reason evolved for a completely different purpose: to win arguments."

These researchers have to keep coming up with novel theories and interpretations in order to keep their jobs. It is "publish or perish" as is well known - no matter how stupid, irrelevant or nonsensical their theories.

 

[Palinurus]

I will go slightly beyond the article and say that what the article says is a novel theory is actually an extremely advanced practical technique that COINTELPRO uses daily against us.

Alas, there is nothing novel about it.
If the word 'sophistry' or 'sophism' means anything to you - it's ancient cointelpro from the time of Socrates/Plato. See for instance: _http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophism to get more on that.

Ruses and deceptions also form integral part of warfare as far back as ancient China according to Sun Tzu, The art of war (see: _http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_War).