Re: the True and the Good

> If you agree that people other than yourself (or marxists of
whom you
> approve) can be rational, and that rationality is not the same
as
> morality, then I guess we agree!
>
> My point in bringing utility maximization into the discussion
was simply
> that there are multiple ways to define rationality.  You and I
both reject
> utility maximization on *normative, moral* grounds.  However,
you have
> also argued that the Ought can be derived from the Is by saying
that once
> a relation has been defined as exploitative it follows that it
is not
> rational.  It may be immoral, by our definition, but that does
not equate
> to irrational.

No, that's not what I argued.  Read again.

> I take it to be a general sociological principle that most
people under
> most circumstances operate on the basis of a combination of
self-interest
> and some value system:  call it ideology or culture.  Because
we never
> have perfect information we all "satisfice" (Herb Simon), but
more
> importantly than simply falling short of maximizing
self-interest, we make
> choices based on a priori assumptions that follow from our
values.
> Neither sociologists or marxists are exempt from this
principle, and thus
> they should be cautious when tarring religious people with the
brush of
> irrationalism.
>
> RH
>
>