The Fourth Guideline

Rule passion — faith — tradition — and all things with tempered reason.

Why it may be perceived negatively

People tend to be quite protective of, and indeed feel passionately about, their traditions and their faith. Some religious people in particular may view any attempt to apply rational thought to their religious traditions as a direct attack on them which can only have been inspired by “Satan.” Similarly, traditionalists of all persuasions tend to be reluctant to consider change regardless of rational arguments, which can hinder progress and prevent problems being solved.

Why the issue should not be ignored

The ability to reason is fundamental to our ability to survive. All conscious creatures must possess some level of rationality in order to make sense of, and survive in, the world. But humans, it seems, have evolved a (debatably) superior ability to use logic to solve problems. Reasoning, defined as to “think, understand, and form judgements by a process of logic,” would have been critical for our ancestors to recognise and avoid danger, find the best sources of food and solve other problems facing them, which ultimately led to our advancement as a species. From the creation of early tools and harnessing the power of fire right up to modern technology, the use of logic and rational thought has been the driving force of human progress. It only makes sense to apply this ability, perhaps the essence of what makes us human, to the many problems we face in the world today. Poverty, conflict, environmental issues, finding cures for diseases... all can potentially be solved by correct use of logical reasoning, and indeed have been in the past. The alternatives however - passion, faith, tradition... are frequently the cause of such problems, and hold little in the way of potential solutions.

What could be achieved?

Anything! There is no limit to what humankind could achieve in the future if we remain rational and continue to expand our knowledge through the scientific method.