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generalmandrake t1_j4zvhkd wrote

Reply to comment by Prosthemadera in Steven Pinker on the power of irrationality | Choosing ignorance, incapacity, or irrationality can at times be the most rational thing to do. by IAI_Admin

You are confusing irrational with non rational. Irrational actions are normally ones that are actually harming you are frustrating your goals. You are going against all reason. Non-rational can either be effectively rational or irrational depending on the outcome, the key feature is that those things are driven more by instinct and mental shortcuts rather than higher order rationality.

Things like falling in love or following a sports team are non-rational, not irrational. Evolution has fine tuned the brain so that non-rational actions are often in line with rational goals, or at least won’t interfere with rational goals, but obviously this is not foolproof and is on a case by case basis.

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Prosthemadera t1_j4zx52s wrote

I don't quite see the distinction you are making. Irrational means non-rational. The prefix ir- means not or non.

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ir-#Latin

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/in-#Latin

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generalmandrake t1_j50z4k3 wrote

Prefixes aside, the definition of the word "irrational" is normally taken to mean unreasonable and illogical, whereas non-rational is normally taken to mean not based in reason. There is an important distinction between the two. One goes against reason, while the other is not rooted in reason, but is not necessarily unreasonable in nature.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irrational https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonrational

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Prosthemadera t1_j514w4p wrote

I'm not interested in discussing word meanings, let alone what a word is "normally taken to mean". It's a total waste of time and I'd rather read Pinker's article again.

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generalmandrake t1_j5175rj wrote

No, wasting time is looking up the Latin prefixes instead of the actual dictionary definitions(which I provided the links to in my response).

Non-rational and irrational are two different words with two different meanings. I’m not sure what to say other than if you are maintaining that they mean the same thing you are simply wrong.

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