The point is that humans are rarely at their best when they use rational reasoning.

Rationality is not one of humanity’s strong points.

If something looks irrational —and has been so for a long time —odds are you have a wrong definition of rationality.

To be truly rational we need to acknowledge the limits of our rationality: nothing is more irrational than an unwarranted faith in reason.

Reason is lost reasoning.

(...) rationality is a very narrowly restricted skill.

Good decisions aren’t always rational.

To believe that any action based on an ignorance of fact can possibly succeed, is to abandon the use of reason.

Reason is not one tool of thought among many, it is the entire toolbox. To advocate that reason be discarded in some circumstances is to advocate that thinking be discarded—which leaves one in the position of attempting to do a job after throwing away the required instrument.

Let’s start by admitting that human beings don’t always act rationally.

We do not need to be rational and scientific when it comes to the details of our daily life — only in those that can harm us and threaten our survival. Modern life seems to invite us to do the exact opposite; become extremely realistic and intellectual when it comes to such matters as religion and personal behavior, yet as irrational as possible when it comes to matters ruled by randomness (say, portfolio or real estate investments). I have encountered colleagues, “rational,” no-nonsense people, who do not understand why I cherish the poetry of Baudelaire and Saint-John Perse or obscure (and often impenetrable) writers like Elias Canetti, J. L. Borges, or Walter Benjamin. Yet they get sucked into listening to the “analyses” of a television “guru,” or into buying the stock of a company they know absolutely nothing about, based on tips by neighbors who drive expensive cars.

It seems that I have spent my entire time trying to make life more rational and that it was all wasted effort.

People aren't always rational, countries aren't always rational. Fascism is not rational.

Fuck rational thought