Summary of The Future Of Reasoning

00:00:00 - 00:25:00

The video discusses the idea that reasoning is a flawed process that is prone to bias and error. It explains that social reasoning is becoming less common and easier to do alone, which is a problem because it leads to decisions that are not wise. The video argues that we may need to reintroduce reason into our social lives in order to solve the problems our civilization will face in the future.

• 00:00:00 The video discusses the future of reasoning, pointing out that it is an ever-growing organ of tissue and wood and stone and steel. It also points out that reason is needed for things like disaster relief and increased life expectancy, but that it is struggling against the complexity of the world. The video leaves the viewer with the question of who will be responsible for directing the costs and tradeoffs involved in this growing complexity, and of how consensus will be achieved in a world full of hyperobjects.
• 00:05:00 The video discusses the idea that behavioral inertia, status quo bias, and other lower instincts can bias us, but that reasoning can help us navigate towards the future we want. It goes on to discuss the concept of reason, which is a way of making inferences. The video points out that reason is a process that we are not aware of, and that it is possible for disagreements to happen even when we are using reason.
• 00:10:00 In this video, Paul gives an example of a logically valid but unsound conclusion, "Michael is awesome." The conclusion follows from the assumptions, but are these assumptions true? No. This is also the premise of the argument, which is subjective. The mood recognizing parts of our brains operate in a way that is opaque to our awareness, but we can still produce reasons for our beliefs, even though we don't use reasons to form them.
• 00:15:00 The social theory of reasoning explains why people often come to different conclusions based on their own beliefs, and why it is often difficult for people to convince others of their conclusions. This theory also explains why people tend to have weak reasons for their beliefs, and why people tend to have biases that make little sense.
• 00:20:00 Reasoning is a flawed process that is prone to bias and error, due in part to the confirmation bias. Social reasoning is becoming less common and easier to do alone, which is a problem because it leads to decisions that are not wise. The internet has given voices to more perspectives, but it also makes it easy to disengage from accountability. To make matters worse, complex issues are being dealt with more quickly than ever before, which makes it difficult for each individual to have well-informed prepared reasons. To make things worse, those in charge are not held accountable by as many perspectives as possible. Leaders should be able to moderate social reasoning to make sure decisions are wise.
• 00:25:00 This video discusses the future of reasoning, which some researchers believe may in fact be the past of reason. The video explains that we may need to reintroduce reason into our social lives in order to solve the problems our civilization will face in the future. Regardless of how we do this, we will all become teachers in the end.