1. Chapter 4
The Life of Reason

2. The Appeal to Reason
The rational appeal is first an appeal to the individual who is considering an issue
Is not an appeal to whatever you happen to think at any given moment
In whatever mood you happen to be
Not an appeal to your passions or emotions
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3. The Appeal to Reason An appeal to you as a rational person
The appeal to reason is universal
Claiming to be correct for everyone who considers the question in this reasonable way
Making an important decision in the heat of the moment is often a big mistake
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4. The Appeal to Reason
The use of reasoning to make decisions, can be characterized as an appeal to:
Considerations that each person must address within his or her own mind
As a reflective person, with concentration on distinguishing the different issues
Considering all the relevant points, consequences
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5. Reason and Philosophy
The study of such connections is the study of logic
The philosopher’s reasoning must also be related to the facts of our experience
The philosopher’s primary tool is reason
Encouraged to live our lives according to reason, to be reasonable, or rational
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6. Reason and Philosophy
What exactly is this ideal rational life and what are its advantages?
It might be true that a life based on reason is better than one based on emotion
The position that the world is inherently rational
Or that people are basically reasonable
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7. Reason and Philosophy
The rational ideal says nothing about the way things actually are in the world
Or the way people actually behave
It simply asserts that the best practical guide to belief and action is:
The principle of reason
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8. The Advantages of Reason
The rational ideal helps to resolve and coordinate:
Important nonrational feelings and intuitions
It is essential that most of our decisions be made quickly and automatically
The problem with this method of decision making is that it will not work all the time
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9. The Advantages of Reason
The job of reason is not to replace it, but to complement it
In resolving conflicts among intuitions and feelings, we are not trying to replace them:
But simply to coordinate them
The question we face is how best to handle conflicting opinions
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10. The Advantages of Reason
Reject dogmatism in favor of a kind of total relativism of opinion
The appeal to reason fosters communication between people
And supports the idea that, despite our differences, we do live in a common world
In which it is possible to come to some agreement
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