Is reason always right???????

Question

I just answered a question and it triggered another question in mind. A lot of Atheists, not all and also this isn't an attack, claim that do not beleive in God because they have reason and don't beleive in imaginary beings. Ok. But reason itself cannot only bee seen in a positive light. I'm going to take some examples: When Hitler decided to invade Poland he did so because 1- it was closer, 2- weaker, 3- strategically good because it would have expanded his base, It was logical reasoning but was it good? does that mean it was ok? During Zia's regime in Pakistan, even while Musharaaf was in power, when the PPP started geting stronger they would kidnap the members, torutre them and 1-keep them in jail or 2- free them, or 3- Kill them...that move logically was right because it scared a lot of people into being submissive and accepting of the government. Adultery: you love your husband/wife, yet you cheat on them right and left, the reason behind it: love and s*x are 2 different things, so just because i'm cheating on her/him, doesn't mean i don't love her/him. Reasoning good, but does it mean it's right?

My question is does reason itself denotes as automatically right?

P.S.1- I'm not asking you if you agree or don't agree about adultery, i'm not asking about your religious point of views, nor that religion started wars....that doesn't concern me...keep to the question, that's all. I talked about atheists here becaue the question answered related to them and that was my starting point. You might say my opening phrase was good or bad, once again stick to the question.

Answer 1

...reason is good, evil, right, wrong or otherwise...

...its the outcome of the choice made by the individual that will make affect others...

...good luck...

Answer 2

There are different meanings to the word "reason".  One means using the intellect, as in "to reason things out", and another means "cause" or "excuse" or "basis for action"...

But you're asking about using one's intellect to determine probable consequences of actions or probable causes of actions already performed, or some such.  

I think in that sense that reason is always right, assuming you use it correctly.  It's like saying 2 = 2 + 4.  That's using it correctly.  Also, saying "Cutting off the heads of all the rosa rugosa flowers will prevent rose hips from forming."  That is also using reason correctly, but it's not a good idea to do that if you want to make rose hip tea.  Motivation behind the reasoning is important, too.  

You can probably make a pretty good guess about things if you know and understand *all* the factors involved.  

  A person can use reason for a bad purpose.  That doesn't mean that the reasoning was faulty, but rather that the intention was bad.  You can use flawless reasoning to do bad things.  You cited several examples of this.  But it's not the fault of reason;  reason is just a tool.  

I wonder if your question might be better stated as "Is reason always moral (or humane or ethical)."  

I think reason as a tool for understanding can indeed always be seen in a positive light, if there is the understanding that in order to come to sensible conclusions, one must take into consideration that it is not always possible to have complete information.  

Answer 3

Thinking logically , right and wrong are only relative concepts . It is our thoughts that makes thing good or bad . Good and bad , rather right and wrong are depending on so many things . Time, situation , effects ,results...and so many other things decide it .

So reasoning just makes us think . It is in our hand whether we make it right or wrong .

Any reasoning which brings love and peace is good .

Answer 4

its not only reason that atheist use to arrive at what they have concluded they also used common sense, emotions, experience and passion.never forget that.

and why would you ever want to put reason into question?

Answer 5

Not only is reason neutral , but also, right and wrong do not exist as a common universal reference.

The person who is reasoning may have a different perception from yours.

Hitler may have thought what he was doing was for the greater good.

If you've never got to understand and see the world through his eyes how then can you condemn his actions?

A murderer may feel killing a person is necessary. How can you then say it is evil to kill someone?

Approach it with an open mind and be enlightened.

Answer 6

No...and never...reasons influenced due to selfishness...selfishness is the desire things of human being...hypocrite people think that they are always right indeed all human bieng do so...but there is something different wid the people...whenever the name u metioned come to ur mind...u feel it in a negative sense why not in positive...but the person who think that they were correct than they diped in the same category...Truth is always truth...desires and circumstances of the people make it right or wrong...but thats not the truth...its just ur need and nothing else...if something is not true than it never be in any era...but people distungusie it in there own purpose rather called it selfishness.....

Good question..........

Answer 7

it's not that reasons have to be right always but they are here to just make us satisfy..............we don't do a work until we have reason for it.It might happen that the reason is wrong but then only we procedee.Don't we?

Answer 8

WE need to separate reason used as a tool and trying to live ones life in agreement with reason. Hitler used reason as a tool for his own unreasonable ends. He, however, was not a follower of reason, meaning he did not try to lead a life open to the examination of reason. This is what Plato meant when he said the unexamined life is not worth living. Plato's statement seems a little hard but his point was that to truly live is to live your life according to reason. Reason is our only path to truth that is not mere opinion. Reason is the only thing that can find a commonality between us all. Living your life in agreement with reason means being open to establishing the truth, being open to discovery of the true foundations of the world. Many have used reason as a tool for their wicked ends but none of the wicked were willing to face the examination of reason about those ends. Socrates held that knowledge is virtue and this is in essence what he meant by that.

I hope I answered the question to your satisfaction. By the way, a lot of modern philosophy holds that reason can not justify itself, which would imply that reason is only a tool. Meaning there is nothing reasonable about reason itself. The Ancients didn't hold this view and neither do we need too.

Edit -- The battle between ancient and modern Western philosophy can largely be seen as a battle over the nature of reason. Modern philosophy assumes the fact/ value chasm found by Hume, meaning modern philosophy accepts that you can't establish a value as a fact. That one can't go from what is to what ought to be done. According to Hume one can't establish any natural ends by reason. Cause and effect rule the universe but nothing points to something that ought to be done. Without going into details of this debate I find the modern outlook questionable in regards to living beings. Livings beings always seem pointed towards the natural ends of sustaining thier lives. In other words, if a man is a live he ought to eat.  The concept of living in harmony with reason assumes the concept that reason is part of the natural ends of humanity. I could be wrong but to know one must study philosophy. One must know the charm of reason before one assumes that reason is unreasonable.

Answer 9

Reality = Right.  Honesty, logic and reason are the best tools for examining right.  So no reason is just a tool, it can be in error or course.  All we can do is place in congruency all the concepts we already know using reason and logic.  All else is pure faith and useless.  

Answer 10

  Reason can be usurped by faith.

Answer 11

No one is suggesting that you can't have a 'reason' to do something bad.  But that point, which is what your examples illustrate, has absolutely nothing to do with your point about atheism.

And in any case, whether reason (in either of the contexts in which you use the term) is 'good' or not does not determine whether it is valid.

Answer 12

I agree with a lot of the other answers here; reason is a tool which can ultimately construct arguments for both sides of any position. Reason is the natural human position to justify why we hold certain beliefs and values.

However, the truth of what we see as 'right' and 'wrong' comes not down to reason but mere faith and intuition. No cleverly worded argument, constructed using faultless logic, will ever change another's opinion and belief as much as an emotive and charismatic speaker, an empowered rally, a religious experience, or that sense of transcendence that art can sometimes bring us. It is the heart, and not reason (in the mind) that ultimately defines what is right and wrong. Yes, we use reason to justify these beliefs, but reason comes after, right and wrong comes before.

Therefore, reason can be wrong and right since it can justify why other people have certain faiths, values and beliefs.

*****

Yes, I suppose I could say that it is neutral since it merely is the way we rationally justify to ourselves and others why we think something is right or wrong (which comes before).