We do not have to believe—as the rationalists say we do—in another dimension of pure thought, with herds of “forms” or “distinct ideas” roaming its plains, in order to have confidence in our own ability to reason. By nature or nurture, or by subtle combinations of the two, we acquire and then pass on to our children those concepts that enable their carriers – i.e. the next wave of humans – to survive. In short, reason’s roots can be explained in ways that don’t assume any of the things that rationalism assumes.

Now rationalism’s really disturbing implications start to occur to us. Wouldn’t I love to believe that there is some hidden dimension in which the forms exist, perfect and eternal? Of course, I would. Then I would know that I was “right.” Then I and a few simpatico acquaintances might agree among ourselves that we were the only people truly capable of perceiving the finer things in life or of recognizing which are the truly moral acts. Our training and natural gifts would have sensitized us to be able to detect the beautiful and the good. For us to persuade the ignorant masses would be only rational; considering their inability to figure things out for themselves—it would be an act of true mercy to just get control of the nation and keep it. 

This view is not just theoretically possible. It was the view of some of the disciples of G.E. Moore almost a century ago and, even more blatantly, of some of the followers of Herbert Spencer a generation before that. (Explanations of the views of Moore and Spencer can be found in Wikipedia articles online.^3,4)

   

                                                        G.E. Moore (credit: Wikimedia Commons)

                                                       

    

                                               Herbert Spencer (credit Wikimedia Commons) 

I am being sarcastic about the sensitivity of Moore and Spencer’s followers, of course. Both my studies and my experience of the world tell me there are more than a few of these kinds of sensitive aristocrats roving around in today’s world, in every land (the neocons of the West?). We underestimate them at our peril. The worst among them don’t like democracy. They yearn to be in charge, they have the brains to secure positions of authority, and they have the capacity for lifelong fixation on a single goal. Further, they have the ability to rationalize their way into truly believing that harsh and duplicitous measures are sometimes needed to keep order among the ignorant masses—that is, everyone else.