Reasonableness - what is it? Qualities of a reasonable person

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Reasonableness is a very useful and important quality. There are not so many people who are different in our time. Reason expresses the highest type of mental activity. Or, in other words, thanks to it, the individual is able to think, generalize, analyze, abstract, and so on. But this is only a brief description of the properties of the mind. In general, such a topic needs to be considered in more detail.

About the concept

Reasonableness is the quality of a person that allows him to correctly apply the knowledge gained in the process of life. In philosophy, there is an excellent synonym for this concept - expediency. This term defines how much this or that process/phenomenon corresponds to the state, the ideal model of which is represented as a goal. A person who has both qualities is guided in his actions solely by reason. He is not used to obeying desires and emotions or acting spontaneously.

Reasonable thinking is expressed through speech and by committing thoseor other actions. Both one and the other are accompanied by analysis. This is a concept that is well known to everyone. Analysis, in simple terms, implies a method of studying something by dividing the object into several parts. That is, its decomposition “on the shelves”. Considering each component separately, it turns out to draw the most correct conclusion. This is the manifestation of the human mind.

Illustrative example

Our life is full of different situations. And reasonableness is a quality that, fortunately, is manifested daily by many. But as an example, it is worth citing an exaggerated situation. As mentioned above, the main property of the mind is its resistance to feelings and emotions. For example, there are two people. Two adult brothers who are the closest and dearest people in the whole world to each other.

At some point, one of them begins to suffer from a mental illness, because of which he is a danger to society. The consequences are not long in coming. In a spontaneous fit of anger, he kills several people, after which, in a panic, he tells his brother about what happened, begging him not to report to the appropriate authorities. And he, pitying his relative, covers him in every possible way.

It is reasonable to act differently, of course. It would be right to report this to the police and a psychiatric clinic so that the perpetrator is isolated from society in order to avoid other victims. But in such morally complex situations, emotions usually win, not reason. It's a fact.

On the power of quality

Everything we have is developed in one way or another. Intelligence is a quality whose strength depends on self-control. If it is not peculiar to a person, then it is difficult to call it expedient. After all, what is the mind? This is the ability of a person to properly perform his duties and duty. And feelings for this are turned inward, but not outward. The human mind has its own characteristics. And the fact that this or that person possesses it does not at all exclude the presence of her desires. A reasonable person is not cold and insensitive, who is alien to joy. He just knows how to keep everything under control.

For example, a person received a tempting offer from a tour operator about a last-minute ticket that can be bought at a 90% discount. And he lights up with this idea! A person is ready to immediately drop everything and go to rest. But is it advisable? Indeed, in the office - the traditional "blockage". Going on a trip, there is a risk of losing your job. And it is possible that even a ticket with such an impressive discount will then seem like an unattainable purchase for a long time to come. Therefore, it is better to analyze everything, pull yourself together and wait.

Awareness

This quality should also be noted with attention, talking about what the mind is. It is very important. Because it is a fundamental feature of intelligence. A reasonable person can know a lot. Everything that surrounds him, he perfectly understands. But the main thing is not this. And the fact that he realizes and puts into practice everything that he understands andknows. This is not typical of every person.

An oncologist can describe the effects of smoking to people in vivid colors, show terrifying presentations, show photographs, and even show real lungs of people who used tobacco. But can he be called reasonable if, after the end of the lecture, he goes out into the street and puffs on a cigarette? Knowledge and awareness are different things. And they are certainly not synonymous.

No bias

This is another quality that an expedient person has. A being is rational only if it is impartial. It's hard to argue with that. What is prejudice? In simple terms, it is a lack of impartiality, accompanied by a clear prejudice and an initial inclination to one position or another. In general, this is a quality that prevents being adequate and reasonable.

There are many examples in life. Suppose a person does not like people of a particular nationality. Once he is offered to take a walk in the company, he agrees. There he meets new good friends, and with one, communication begins to actively develop, growing into friendship. And then he becomes aware that this person is a representative of exactly the nationality to which he has a fierce dislike. An adequate attitude towards him disappears and everything good is crossed out only because of his ethnic characteristics. Is this person intelligent? No. Is it biased? Definitely.

Stereotypes

This is the last thing I would like to say a few words about. A reasonable person should neverstereotypes and cliches. The only thing he trusts is his eyes and ears. Its difference from ordinary people lies in the absence of frames. He is free in his opinion and outlook. It may seem that this is a somewhat remote topic from rationality. But it's not. After all, we are talking about philosophical concepts, and all of them, one way or another, are interconnected with each other.