I totally agree that the mind is fragmented this way. Modern psychology has helped us take such great strides away from the simplistic view of thoughts as foolproof, virtual objects in some kind of giant mental pyramid of constructions.
However, I've been pondering irrationality as it informs good engineering leadership myself. I totally agree that for things like philosophical system building, conceptual models, and general logical exercise, rationality is the right place to start. But how often does our work with people suffer when we try to be over-rational and wind up treating people as pawns in a chessgame of the leader's mental map?
Obviously, your point about unifying rational constructs in order to give proper priority to the right thoughts is a necessary one. But what about moments when leaders need to be decisive and connect before taking the time to understand? Are there times when irrationally trusting deep, social instincts while monitoring the situation, its causes, and the impacts of the decision can lead to a mysteriously clearer picture (as it pertains to humans and our needs)?
I totally agree that the mind is fragmented this way. Modern psychology has helped us take such great strides away from the simplistic view of thoughts as foolproof, virtual objects in some kind of giant mental pyramid of constructions.
However, I've been pondering irrationality as it informs good engineering leadership myself. I totally agree that for things like philosophical system building, conceptual models, and general logical exercise, rationality is the right place to start. But how often does our work with people suffer when we try to be over-rational and wind up treating people as pawns in a chessgame of the leader's mental map?
Obviously, your point about unifying rational constructs in order to give proper priority to the right thoughts is a necessary one. But what about moments when leaders need to be decisive and connect before taking the time to understand? Are there times when irrationally trusting deep, social instincts while monitoring the situation, its causes, and the impacts of the decision can lead to a mysteriously clearer picture (as it pertains to humans and our needs)?