The Devil’s Dictionary: Rational

Posted on June 11, 2021 | 2 Comments

“Rational, adj. Devoid of all delusions save those of observation, experience and reflection.”

Excerpted from: Bierce, Ambrose. David E. Schultz and S.J. Joshi, eds. The Unabridged Devil’s Dictionary. Athens: The University of Georgia Press, 2000. 

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2 responses to “The Devil’s Dictionary: Rational”

  1. Adelaide Dupont's avatar Adelaide Dupont | June 12, 2021 at 4:08 am | Reply

    So observation, experience and reflection cause delusions – all in their own ways.

    [or at the very least – are correlated with delusion and illusion].

    Liked by 1 person

    • markstextterminal's avatar markstextterminal | June 12, 2021 at 8:56 am | Reply

      Well, Bierce was a master ironist, so don’t discount that. However, this piece of irony is in line with a number of late-nineteenth century critiques of post-Enlightenment rationalism, so he was also a man of his time.

      Liked by 1 person

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