From Tim Sprod
Laura Spinney’s article on how to make choices is shot through with a damaging misconception (31 July, p 32). Repeatedly, she equates rationality with the decision-making processes of game theory and assumes that choices “swayed by a complex range of factors such as emotion, social context and uncertainty” are not rational.
On the contrary, it is those who equate rationality with emotionless, context-free decision making who are promoting irrationality. Such decision making is not, of course, emotion-free, it is premised on emotions related to greed, extreme individualism and lack of concern for others. Such emotions are at the centre of the plague of so-called economic “rationalism” and instrumental reason that has done so much damage to the world. John von Neumann of the RAND corporation arguing that it was rational to launch a first nuclear strike is just one glaring example of this irrationality.
Taroona, Tasmania, Australia
