Well, the two have a different meaning to me. Logic is a class of mathematical systems, like first-order logic. But logic stays within an axiomatically constructed system, it doesn’t claim or pretend to have a direct link with “reality”.
Rationality is the art of using such a system in relation to reality—to understand reality, predict it, and therefore gain the power to steer it in a preferred direction.
Logic itself will never tell you if the universe uses Newtonian or relativistic laws of motion. Both systems are logically consistent. But rationality will tell you that relativistic laws of motion are a closer map of reality than Newtonian laws of motion (but that Newtonian laws of motion is still a very valid map for daily life).
Yea, this is a good explanation. Logic seems to be considered as more abstract rules, while rationality seems to apply it to reality.
Although considering Bayes Theorem is a logical, mathematical construct, I could certainly argue against the idea that “logic doesn’t claim or pretend to have a direct link with reality”.
Well, I would say Bayes Theorem itself is purely logical, but realizing how it applies to updating your belief network and scoring your hypothesis, and then using it that way, especially the part of devising tests that could falsify your hypothesis, is rationality. I knew Bayes Theorem before discovering Less Wrong, I even knew a bit about Bayesian networks in computer science, but I never realized how deep Bayes Theorem was (and how it was a more powerful, more technical version of the scientific method) before reading the “intuitive explanation” and the Sequences.
But of course, the two are far from totally isolated. Words are fuzzy boundaries, not precise definitions.
Well, the two have a different meaning to me. Logic is a class of mathematical systems, like first-order logic. But logic stays within an axiomatically constructed system, it doesn’t claim or pretend to have a direct link with “reality”.
Rationality is the art of using such a system in relation to reality—to understand reality, predict it, and therefore gain the power to steer it in a preferred direction.
Logic itself will never tell you if the universe uses Newtonian or relativistic laws of motion. Both systems are logically consistent. But rationality will tell you that relativistic laws of motion are a closer map of reality than Newtonian laws of motion (but that Newtonian laws of motion is still a very valid map for daily life).
Yea, this is a good explanation. Logic seems to be considered as more abstract rules, while rationality seems to apply it to reality.
Although considering Bayes Theorem is a logical, mathematical construct, I could certainly argue against the idea that “logic doesn’t claim or pretend to have a direct link with reality”.
Well, I would say Bayes Theorem itself is purely logical, but realizing how it applies to updating your belief network and scoring your hypothesis, and then using it that way, especially the part of devising tests that could falsify your hypothesis, is rationality. I knew Bayes Theorem before discovering Less Wrong, I even knew a bit about Bayesian networks in computer science, but I never realized how deep Bayes Theorem was (and how it was a more powerful, more technical version of the scientific method) before reading the “intuitive explanation” and the Sequences.
But of course, the two are far from totally isolated. Words are fuzzy boundaries, not precise definitions.
It’s only ‘deep’ if you have to dredge it up and out from a pile of bullshit. ;)
Applying Bayes Theorem is just applying logic to your life. It follows directly from the theorem. That would make you logical.
Or perhaps we are just differentiating from the abstract and the real.