Beyond Reason

Stop Being Reasonable is the title and main theme of a book that I have just read, written by Australian philosopher Eleanor Gordon-Smith.  She discusses the mythology about, and limits of, reason as the idealised form of human decision making and behaviour, and gives some remarkable case studies to guide our own thinking and self awareness.

Gordon-Smith was recently interviewed on the ABC regarding one of those case studies.  In what many would regard as a risky, courageous endeavour, she took her recorder and notebook and set out to walk past building sites, shopping centres, and even down that strangest of Australian places - Darlinghurst Road, Kings Cross. 

When, as so often happens to women in such locations, she was cat-called, whistled at, or propositioned by male strangers, she stopped, introduced herself, and asked them "Why?" 

The resulting answers, given in the full knowledge that they were being recorded by a woman who intended to analyse and publish, and who had the skills and qualifications to do so, were candid and disturbing, and often less than reasonable - especially if you, like me, were brought up believing in the power of human reason, and the superiority of reason over emotion.

The book delves into our ability to discern truth from falsehood, to decide which to believe or live by, and to remember accurately (or not) the course of our decision making, and the reasons we made those decisions.  As well referenced as any academic text, it is written in concise, accurate language that makes its questions and partial answers (like all good science, each question answered tends to raise many more follow-up questions) comprehensible and well worth reading.

I was going to say "enjoyable" but some of the thought processes and rationales revealed, as well as some aspects of the case studies in the book, are disturbing.  Why am I reviewing and recommending this book on a blog that is largely addressed to writing?

Because it offers some new perspectives on how and why we, and by extension, our characters think and decide and act in the ways we and they do - and the more we understand how our own minds work, the better we can understand our protagonists.