Introduction
be better able to help prevent those differences from becoming conflicts. • You will get much more pleasure and enjoyment from the arts, music, poetry, science, and culture. • You may even enjoy life more than you otherwise would.
Let me add that the use of reason doesn’t shut out one’s feelings, or the benefit of the arts or of human relationships, or any of the apparently non-logical things that make life enjoyable and fun. Indeed, in classical and mediaeval philosophy reason was said to be the very presence of God within the human soul. It is by means of reason that a human being could get inside the mind of God, and obtain an experience of eternity. Reason can be a spiritual thing. But, alas, I’ll have to discuss that prospect in more detail another time. There are also social and public benefits to being able to reason well. Over the centuries, thoughtful individuals and their associates used reason, evidence, argument, scientific observation and persuasion to work for a more free, peaceful and just society. Consider a few examples: Wang Anshi (11th century): Chinese economist who transformed the civil service examination system to prevent nepotism. He instituted various reforms in government to protect the rights of the poor, especially poor farmers. Martin Luther (1483-1546): Christian monk from Saxony, who translated the Bible into vulgate German so that ordinary people could read it and decide for themselves what it meant. His public condemnations of corrupt practices in the Roman Church (especially including the sale of indulgences) led to the creation of Protestantism. Nellie McClung (1873-1951): Canadian politician who, together with four associates (the ‘Famous Five’), campaigned to change Canadian law so that women would be recognized as persons. This allowed women to vote and to be appointed to the Senate. Edward R. Murrow (1908-1965): American journalist and broadcaster. He was one
of the first reporters to describe to the world the crimes against humanity, which took place at the Buchenwald Nazi concentration camp. He also systematically exposed, and effectively stopped, the Communist conspiracy paranoia promoted by Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy. William Wilberforce (1759-1833): British evangelical Christian who was the most influential voice in the movement to abolish slavery in the British empire in 1807. Vaclav Havel (1936-2011): Playwright, poet, and political activist who campaigned against unjust prosecutions. Eventually becoming President of Czechoslovakia, he oversaw the dismantling of communism in his country, and of the Warsaw Pact military alliance. Florence Nightingale (1820-1910): Military nurse during the Crimean War, who secularized and expanded the profession of nursing, and who campaigned for the improvement of public health in the British Empire. Julian Assange (born 1971-): Australian journalist and computer programmer who campaigns for press freedom, and who founded WikiLeaks, an international whistleblowing organization which publishes leaked secret documents in order to publicize and prevent the unjust or criminal actions of corporations and governments. In their own time, many of these people were ridiculed or persecuted. Some of them were, and still are, controversial figures, because of other things they did (or allegedly did). But all of them changed the world for the better, in great or small ways, and at great personal risk, through the courageous use of their intelligence. I’m going to be bold here and claim that every successful social reformer the world has ever known has also been a rational and critical thinker and speaker. Regardless of their profession, every successful social and political reform was made possible by people who carefully and logically observed, examined and judged the world around them. Even great religious prophets and their supporters had to show that their teachings could withstand rational
09