"Rationality is not just a matter of having some reasons for what one does, but of aligning one's beliefs, actions, and evaluations effectively with the best or strongest available reasons. It pivots on doing that which, everything considered, one is "well advised" to do. The matter of giving or following the course of intelligent and responsible advice is the crux of rationality. There is nothing complex or arcane about the sorts of considerations that determine good and cogent reasons in this regard. It is a matter of the sort of things that conduce to one's real advantage, to one's best interests. This is a matter of furthering the full and rewarding life, preeminently involving the sort of things that make us happier and/or better persons in what relates to our benefit and the benefit of those who do and should matter for us (our family, community, and fellows at large, and the advancement of our individual and communal values.) Practical rationality thus calls for appropriate resolutions intelligently arrived at and sensibly implemented. It is geared to the sensible pursuit of appropriate ends. The idea of optimization, of seeking for the best among visibly available alternatives, lies at the very core of rationality."
- Nicholas Rescher, A System of Pragmatic Idealism, Volume I 1992, p.9
The Thinker's Way to Solve Problems
Have I accepted the problem?
What do I know about the problem?
How can I define the problem?
What are the alternatives?
What are the advantages and/or disadvantages of each alternative?
What is the solution?
How well is the solution working?
- John Chaffee, The Thinker's Way: 8 Steps to a Richer Life, 1998
How to Live a Good Life: Advice From Wise Persons
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