Most see reason as a vital element in making good decisions. Philosophers from Spinoza and Hegel to Bertrand Russell went further making logic and reason the key to understanding the world and the primary philosophical tool. But is this a fundamental error? Reason after all led them to radically different conclusions. And recent studies show that reason in business and personal relationships does not lead to more successful outcomes, nor does rational economics lead to the greatest entrepreneurial success.
Should we abandon the idea that reason is the key either to truth or successful action? Or should we see reason as vital to follow through the consequences of our beliefs? In an increasingly chaotic intellectual age, do we need reason more than ever to contain conflict and misunderstanding, or is reason no more than a justification of prejudice?