School of Reasoning, Leadership and Human Development
The Better Thinkers Project
One question. Every Monday.
One argument. One decision. One idea worth examining.
“How do you know when you are being rational versus when you are rationalising?”
Rationalisation is one of the mind's most sophisticated defence mechanisms. It produces arguments that look like reasoning but are actually working backwards — starting from a conclusion and constructing justifications for it.
The frightening thing about rationalisation is that it is indistinguishable from genuine reasoning from the inside. It feels exactly the same. You feel like you are thinking carefully. You are not. You are defending.
The clues are subtle: you feel resistant to counter-evidence before you have examined it. You find yourself more interested in winning the argument than in understanding the issue. The conclusion was always going to be the same regardless of what the evidence showed.
Developing the ability to catch yourself rationalising — in real time, not in retrospect — is one of the most difficult and valuable intellectual disciplines a person can cultivate.
Sit with these
Think of a decision you made recently that you feel confident about. Now ask: did you reach that conclusion through reasoning, or did you choose the conclusion first and find reasons after?
What topic makes you feel defensive when challenged? What does that defensiveness tell you?
What would genuine intellectual honesty cost you in your current situation?
If this question unsettled you, that is the beginning.
Continue the conversation in the SRLHD Community on Telegram. SRLHD exists for people who take that feeling seriously.
Previous Questions
“Are you growing or just getting older?”
“What does your organisation actually reward — versus what it says it rewards?”
“What is the difference between a fact and a truth?”
“When did you last change your mind about something important?”
“Do people follow you because they want to or because they have to?”
“Is it possible to think clearly when you are emotionally invested?”
“What are you pretending not to know about yourself?”
“Can a good leader make an unethical decision?”
“What would change your mind?”
