Nominull comments on Rationality quotes - May 2009 - Less Wrong

6 Post author: Kaj_Sotala 19 May 2009 07:30PM

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Comment author: Nominull 19 May 2009 09:46:52PM 3 points [-]

Reason is always a kind of brute force; those who appeal to the head rather than the heart, however pallid and polite, are necessarily men of violence. We speak of 'touching' a man's heart, but we can do nothing to his head but hit it.

-G. K. Chesterton

Comment author: PhilGoetz 19 May 2009 10:51:10PM *  4 points [-]

Is that meant to be an anti-rational quote?

Comment author: Nominull 20 May 2009 12:55:51AM 9 points [-]

Only if you think violence is never justified ;)

It's a warning to rationalists, especially Hollywood Mister Spock type rationalists, that even though promoting true beliefs is a charitable act on par with patching up someone's slashed tires, people will often take rather unkindly to it.