Logical Failure

logic will not win you deals in negotiations. they only help.

and human beings are often more emotional than logical. especially when they get into a crowd. there is some truth in Robots and Empire where Giskard says that it is easier to manipulate the emotions of a crowd than that of a person.

to be able to govern means being able to understand how people feel. then, taking the people's emotions as a factor in the equation, logically, clinically, rationally choose the best course of action given the resources and information available.

the problem with a lot of activists are that they are either logical, basing their views on a series of theoretical philosophical views that are seldom grounded in the reality. how many philosophers have really encountered the harsh realities of life? how many have ever really had to bear the weight of responsibility of millions on their shoulders?

and that is the problem with many activists too. some of them look at the issue from their points of view rather than from the points of view of those whom they are trying to help, the groups they are trying to influence, other people in the society that those they are trying to help live in. nor how these various groups would be affected. nor how they feel.

i have been very philosophical, looking for logical arguments to justify this or that. but recently i have had the opportunity to see how policies are made at the top level, their effects on the general population, how the population feels about it and how the government tackles and manipulates these emotions.

and i think that those who would like to seek change in society would do well by immersing themselves within the society that they want to change. these people will have to get their hands dirty rather than trapping themselves in the ivory tower of books and philosophical thought and logical but hypothetical arguments.