Is it ever rational to be irrational?

[The Sailor]

Is there ever a time for irrational behavior within the objectivist views?

[Gabriel]

Well, if you're thinking about something, you ARE thinking about it, so you should try to keep your toughts true to reality.

Most of the time, you'll be thinking about other things than your current behaviour (driving, doing repetitive work, etc.) So, during that time you're not thinking about your behaviour. You could call that irrational behaviour.

If you're asking if there are certain topics or issues one shouldn't reason about, then the answer is no, as far as I'm concerned. Once you are thinking about something, you ought to do it rationally.

On the other hand, you must understand that your entire existence is based on your desire to live, and that this desire doesn't require any rational or moral justification, it is the root of any rationality and morality. (But that's just me talking, Ayn Rand might dissagree)

[y_feldblum]

Is there ever a time for the mark of insanity: doing the same dumb thing over and over again, always expecting it to work the next time?

Is there ever a time purposefully to embark on the road to nowhere, to non-thought, to nonexistence?

Is there ever a time for masochism?

Irrationality means the mind/body split: acting against one's knowledge of reality. For example, if you know some action can never work, then irrationality means trying it over and over again in the vain hope that next time it will.

Irrationality means divorcing existence from consciousness. By taking that path, you kill your mind, and then your body. Consistent irrationality is a clean, quick death.

"Is there ever a time for irrationality?" is the question: is a turturous, masochistic, drawn-out living death the point of existence?

There is never a time for either "it's true because it must be" or "it's true because I want it to be"; neither is there a time for either "I ought to because I must" or "I ought to because I want".

To the question, whether a person can automatize his knowledge and values - purposefully reduce them to his subconscious - so that he can call upon them without active thinking but with lightning-like rapidity, the answer is: he must. The subconscious is there for a reason, so use it; but don't let its content, or your actions, be dictated by the non-real.

[The Sailor]

More specifically, irrational behavior as it applies to work. Most of our greatest achievements were done by people pursuing impossible tasks. Wright brother flying, Einstein theories, etc... pursuing objectives everyone presumed to be impossible. Would this be considered irrational.

[y_feldblum]

If everyone presumes the earth to be flat, is the earth flat?

Rationality means basing all your knowledge on what you perceive of the world, not on what others tell you (or making sure that what they tell you is based in reality, not weakness). For every thing that any creative person has ever done, there have been a thousand others telling him that it's impossible. Vision is looking at what others have known and done, and trying to best them, and vision is the only way to see.

The most rational thing in the world is gaining new knowledge and applying it to the problems of producing much and of living well. It's the only way to fly.

[BreathofLife]

More specifically, irrational behavior as it applies to work.  Most of our greatest achievements were done by people pursuing impossible tasks.  Wright brother flying, Einstein theories, etc... pursuing objectives everyone presumed to be impossible.  Would this be considered irrational.

Absolutey not. The fact that everyone presumed them to be impossible is irrelevant. All of those people (einstein, wright bros...etc) had reason to believe that it was possible, and then they proceeded to try to prove it.

[RationalBiker]

Absolutey not. The fact that everyone presumed them to be impossible is irrelevant. All of those people (einstein, wright bros...etc) had reason to believe that it was possible, and then they proceeded to try to prove it.

To add to that, they didn't try the same exact thing over and over. When they found something didn't work, they made adjustments and tried again.

VES