It is rational in such a situation to decide to act upon the outcome of a random or pseudo-random phenomenon, because it will break the deadlock and prevent starvation.at best it's random — TheMadFool
It is rational in such a situation to decide to act upon the outcome of a random or pseudo-random phenomenon, because it will break the deadlock and prevent starvation — andrewk
Sure. What exactly is it that you do not understand? — andrewk
Harry Hindu
Yes, the ass has survived but at the cost of its rationality. You may say that the rational course of action for the ass is to eat because, well, it would die otherwise. But the act of choosing between the two equally attractive options is not rational for the simple reason that there's no valid rational factor to tip the balance in favor of either pile of hay. So, in this case, the act of choosing is completely irrational. Sometimes it's rational to be irrational. — TheMadFool
That's where you're getting into difficulty. Randomness is not breaking rules. It's just a different set of rules from non-randomness. If you study probability theory you will see that it is formally logical in exactly the same way as other branches of mathematics.Randomness is also breaking rules — TheMadFool
That's where you're getting into difficulty. Randomness is not breaking rules. It's just a different set of rules from non-randomness. If you study probability theory you will see that it is formally logical in exactly the same way as other branches of mathematics. — andrewk
The Kolmogorov framework for probability theory.Can you cite some examples of such rules — TheMadFool
We describe something as random when we don't know all the rules — andrewk
Rational, because it prevents her from starving and she doesn't want to starve — andrewk
Harry Hindu
Have you never faced a dilemma? Most dilemmas are loss-oriented in the sense the options provided are all undesirable. There are common English expressions that describe such situations e.g. ''Hobson's choice'', ''Catch 22''. These dilemmas are characterized by mental paralysis, the rational mind in particular, and a decision cannot be made. So, here's a situation you're surely familiar with that captures the essence of what I want to say - failure of rationality under certain circumstances. — TheMadFool
Do you think it irrational that, at the beginning of a football or cricket match, the two captains agree to toss a coin to decide which one gets to choose which direction to run (football) or whether to bat (cricket)? — andrewk
Tossing a coin is neither rational nor irrational - it's just an action.If tossing a coin is rational then why not use it for ALL situations
There's a big difference between using rationality to discover the truths of the universe and using rationality to decide which option to choose from that will result in the best outcome for myself and/or the most people — Harry Hindu
Would you use a woolly hat to hammer in a nail? — andrewk
That doesn't follow.Clearly s/he is NOT rational because if rationality could assist s/he wouldn't resort to random choices. — TheMadFool
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